* By RUPERT MISSICK Jr
Chief Reporter
A "KNOCK-DOWN, drag-
out fight" is predicted for
tomorrow when the 200 mem-
bers of the FNM council meet
to discuss the party's future -
and the explosive leadership
issue.
The question of former Prime
Minister Hubert Ingraham's
possible return as FNM leader
is bound to dominate debate.
And insiders are forecasting
lively scenes.
Meanwhile, current FNM
leader Tommy Turnquest is
holding fast and refusing to step
down. Leadership hopeful Dion
Foulkes also said he will not
withdraw his bid for the posi-
tion.

Candidate
"I will, God willing, remain
a candidate until the very last
ballot is counted," Mr Foulkes
said in a release to The Tribune
yesterday.
Council members speaking to
The Tribune yesterday fore-
shadowed a heated meeting
between two factions, one
group who feel there is no
viable way forward for the par-
ty other than an Ingraham
leadership and another who feel
that Mr Ingraham's time has
come and gone.
Supporters of the former
prime minister's return say that
any choice other than Mr Ingra-
ham would only prove that the
party was still guilty of "navel-
gazing and being out of touch
with the desires of the public
which got us voted out in 2002."

"No matter how poorly the
PLP is and how worthless
Christie proves to be, if we
don't have a candidate that
excites people to get up and go
out to vote we won't have a
chance," one council member
said.
Another member said the
council would act favourably
towards an Ingraham/Symon-
ette ticket. Dion Foulkes and
Tommy Turnquest were not,
and should not, be options for
the party going into 2007.

Leader
"He (Mr Turnquest) should
have resigned when the party
lost in 2002. The MPs are asking
for him to step down. I mean
come on, a Senator is not an
elected seat and if they are ask-
ing for a new leader then we
need to give them one," he said.
The council member said that
Mr Ingraham's return would be
in the best interest of the coun-
try and for the party.
However, he conceded that

SEE page two

Reports of

I BAHAMAS Utilities Services Allied Workers Union (BUSAWU) president Carmen Kemp speaks to police inspectors
yesterday outside the Water and Sewerage Corporation's headquarters. Union members staged a protest over outstanding labour
issues. See page three for the story.
(Photo: Felipi Major/Tribune staff)]

Death threats made

break-in at against school principal
Eastern Road

POLICE are looking into
reports of a break-in and assault
on the Eastern Road which
occurred around 5am yesterday.
There were no suspects up to
press time.

* By KARIN HERIG
Tribune Staff Reporter
UNION leaders are threat-
ening to shut down a Family
Island school after death
threats were made against the
principal.
The Bahamas Union of
Teachers' secretary general
Belinda Wilson and vice-pres-
ident Terrence King yesterday
flew to Exuma to ensure the
safety of principal Ester Coop-
er after two notes threatening
her harm were found at the
Black Point all-age school.
Police have launched an
investigation and said they
cannot rule out that the threats
are genuine.
Sergeant Harcourt Strachan
of George Town police station
told The Tribune that two
notes, one addressed specifi-
cally to Mrs Cooper, were
found by teachers at the
school.
"The first one said 'Coop-

er-Philips beware, we don't
need any of you here. Go or
else'. The second one is more
explicit, saying: 'Get out or
die'," said Mr Strachan.
He said. police had not yet
determined who is meant by
'Philips' in the first note. -,
Mrs Cooper confirmed she
had received threats but did
not wish to discuss the inci-
dent in detail while investiga-
tions are continuing.
Although police have not
yet identified any suspects, Mr
Strachan said the threats may
be linked to a recent meeting
of the Parent Teacher's Asso-
ciation.
"There was a dispute at a
recent PTA meeting where a
parent was angry with the
principal because of how their
child was performing. We
don't know yet if these threats
have anything to do with that
dispute or if this is someone
SEE page 10

Teenage girl's

disappearance

investigated
* By KARAN MINNIS
INVESTIGATIONS into cir-
cumstances surrounding the dis-
appearance of a 17-year-old girl
are being conducted by police.
The concerned mother of 17-
year-old Trevina Thompson, a
recent graduate of Government
SEE page 10

Governor

General to

step down
* By RUPERT
MISSICK Jr and
NATARIO McKENZIE
THE Bahamas will be
looking for a new Governor
General shortly, as it was
announced yesterday that
Dame Ivy Dumont will
demit office on November
30.
Government insiders say
that former Attorney Gen-
eral Paul Adderley will be
asked to serve as deputy to
the Governor General up
until and after the next gen-
eral election.
"If we win again then it is
expected that a new Gover-
nor General will be appoint-
ed," said a source.
Whether or not Mr
Adderley will be asked to
serve in the post full-time still
SEE page 10

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he fiaHami HeraTt
BAHAMAS EDITION

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PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THE TRIBUNE

LOA NW

FNM 'fight'

predicted

FROM page one

several council members, for
one reason or other, had fall-
en out with Mr Ingraham. But
he believed when the meet-
ing takes place on Thursday
the majority would have over-
come any feelings of ill-will.
"These little things we hold
against each other will disap-
pear. Most of these issues came
from Mr Ingraham wanting to
break the back of the history
of political patronage, giving a
carpenter a contract to fix a
road," said the council mem-
ber.
However, in some cases,
these wounds have not healed.
One member told The Tri-
bune that Mr Ingraham slighted
and offended too many people
during his previous stint as
leader and many do not want
to see his return under any cir-
cumstances.
Another said there was
resentment brewing about the
way this proposed change may
take place and that the former
prime minister should have to
undergo the floor campaigning
of a national convention meet-
ing to become leader.
"There is no way they can do
that, it is impossible for them
to do that. I think there is a
groundswell recently toward
Dion because of propaganda
about Tommy's weakness.

Opinion
"I am of the opinion that
* 'Tommy's personality is not
attracting a lot of voters. His-
knowledge of politics and abil-
ity is good but, as far as I am
concerned, his personality is his
Achilles heel," he said.
To make an FNM led by
Hubert Ingraham even more
attractive, some council mem-
bers feel the key would be to
add Montagu MP Brent
Symonette to the Ingraham
ticket.
"If Ingraham does not come
out as leader you can forget
Symonette participating in any
leadership race at all,'" said one
council member.
"He's not going to play sec-
ond fiddle to Tommy or Dion.
So persons who may not want
Ingraham and want Brent will
have to take that into account."
Mr Symonette told The Tri-
bune yesterday that he will not
make an announcement about
his intentions until the first
week of October. Incidentally,
at this time the council would
have already met and decided
Mr Ingraham's role in the party.,
"I have made no decision for
deputy leadership. I promised
to give that answer in the first
week of October," said Mr
Symonette.
When asked if there was
going to be a move at council
level to have him installed as
deputy leader, Mr Symonette
said he did not know if any such
move was "being made or con-
templated."
"Under the constitution of
the FNM the leadership of the
FNM in parliament is chosen
by the members of parliament,

that is how the leader is cho-
sen, that is how we chose Mr
(Alvin) Smith. There is a coun-
cil meeting this Thursday. The
issue of leadership is not on the
agenda but we will have to see,"
said Mr Symonette.
. Mr Smith has said he is more
than willing to step down as
opposition leader in favour of
Mr Ingraham.
Dion Foulkes, who has
offered himself as a candidate in
the leadership elections, point-
ed out that in the parliamen-
tary system the members of the
official opposition in the House
of Assembly have the right to
choose their leader in that body.
"If the FNM members of the
House wish to choose a new
leader in the House that is their
constitutional right. However,
the position for which I am vig-
orously campaigning, that of
party leader, can be filled by
the Central Council under cer-
tain circumstances, but that is
normally the constitutional
mandate of the voting delegates
at our national convention," he
said.
Out .of respect for the dele-
gates, Mr Foulkes said the par-
ty must allow the convention to
set the future direction and
leadership of the party.

Democracy
"Because we are committed
to democracy within the party
and the nation, we must respect
both of these practices. If we
do not respect these traditions
within the FNM we will be
unfaithful to the spirit and sac-
rifices of our founding fathers
and freedom fighters who
fought against rule by the few
and a political style which did
not take into account the wish-
es of the majority," Mr Foulkes
said.
Mr Foulkes said that his bid
for leadership is nothing per-
sonal.
"My bid for leadership is not
in opposition to any individual.
Rather it is about my vision for
this party and my country; a
vision first passed on to me by
the founders and those other
freedom fighters throughout the
Bahamas who have remained
with the party through all sea-
sons. My fight is for them and
for future generations of
Bahamians who have yet to
share in the Bahamian dream,"
he said.

CONS

Ingraham gets

backing from

members of

the public

MEMBERS of the public yes-
terday spoke out in support of the
return of former Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham as leader of the
Free National Movement.
As the debate continues to heat
up as to who should lead the FNM
into the next general election, sev-
eral Bahamians stated that in their
opinion, Mr Ingraham is the only
realistic option.
Calling into Love 97's radio talk
show Issues of the Day, people
expressed their confidence in the
former prime minister as the man
to win the government back from
the PLP.
A veteran FNM member who
called into the show said that
although the current leader Tom-
my Turnquest is "a nice human
being, he was just not cut out to
lead a political party."
He further said that many
FNMs would be in favour of Mon-
tagu MP Brent Symonette running
as deputy to Mr Ingraham.
"Hubert Ingraham would be
the savior for this country. The
majority in our party want a Ingra-
ham/Symonette ticket," the caller
said.

Caller
A Grand Bahamian caller who
identified himself as a staunch
FNM supporter said he feels that
the party would not be able to win
the next general election with Mr
Turnquest as leader.
"The FNM would come out on
the losing end of the deal Ingra-
ham or nothing," he said.
Other callers said that although
they respect Mr Turnquest for
holding the FNM together since
the party's defeat in 2002, the time
has now come to select a leader
who will give the FNM a realistic
chance of winning the govern-
ment.
"It's about the good of the
country. He (Mr Ingraham) is the
best man for the job for what we
are going through in this country,"
a caller said.
However, some callers said that
Mr Turnquest, as a leader from a
younger generation, should be giv-
en a second chance at becoming
prime minister.
One caller said that it is time for
new blood, and that Bahamians
should let go of some former lead-
ers.
Mr Turnquest also called into
the radio show yesterday. He reit-
erated that he would offer himself
for the position of leader at the
FNM's national convention in
November.
He further said that Mr Ingra-
ham had personally assured him
that he would not be returning as
party leader.

* DESMOND COLEBROOKE

Traffic

fatality

* By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
FREEPORT A young elec-
tronics engineer and co-owner of
Bahamas Electronic Lab was
killed instantly in a traffic acci-
dent early Tuesday morning.
Desmond Colebrooke, 33, lost
control of his white Toyota MK II
around lam on Balao Road.
The vehicle skidded off the
road and crashed into a tree in
the median.
Colebrooke's body was ejected
from the car, which had broken
into several pieces.
Superintendent Basil Rahming
said this latest death pushes the
traffic fatality count to 18 for year
on Grand Bahama.
Police believe that Mr Cole-
brooke was driving south along
Balao Road at a very fast speed
when he lost control of his vehi-
cle.
Many persons in Freeport were
shocked to learn of the tragedy.
Desmond's older brother
Eddie said he is completely dev-
astated by the loss.
The two were co-owners of the
business started by their father.
A black ribbon has been placed
on business door.
Supt Rahming urged motorists
to drive with care and caution.

HetiieFu e,.

f E 8AHAMA$S*AYMAN I$LANOS.BE E ,

~ARBAOQ$

TLHE TRIBUNE WEDNENSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005, II

Turnquest's doubt that Hubert

Ingraham will stand for leader

EMBATTLED Tommy
Turnquest said yesterday that
he does not expect former
prime minister Hubert Ingra-
ham to challenge him for the
FNM leadership.
"Based on what he has told
me, I don't expect Mr Ingra-
ham to be in the race," he told
The Tribune after five party
MPs had asked him to stand
down to make way for the for-
mer leader.
Mr Turnquest said he had
received tremendous support
from leading churchmen,
prominent FNMs and the pub-
lic at large.
"There is no reason to doubt
myself. I intend to offer my
services to continue as leader
of the FNM. I am going to
offer myself for re-election at
the convention," he said.
Mr Turnquest's comments
came after The Tribune report-.
ed a showdown meeting at
which five FNM parliamentar-
ians asked him to quit for the
sake of the country and party.
They told him he did not

command sufficient support to
carry the FNM to victory at
the 2007 general election.

Support

But Mr Turnquest said that,
since the story appeared, he
had received "countless" calls
from religious leaders, well-
wishers, political supporters
and others who had urged him
to carry on.
He added: "I have not been
surprised by this response.
What I have been surprised by
is the vociferous nature of the
response.
"Many of the people who
have supported me have
always been very quiet. One
thing this has done is bring out
the voices of many persons
who support me. That has
been most pleasing for me."
Asked about Mr Ingraham's
possible involvement in the
leadership question, he said:
"I don't think Mr Ingraham
will challenge me. I don't

expect him to be in the run-
ning."
He said the contest was like-
ly to be between himself and
Dion Foulkes and anyone
else who bids for the leader-
ship.
If successful, he said he was
confident of leading the FNM
to victory in the 2007 election.
He would put together a team
of men and women with simi-
lar views who had a passion
for serving other people "and a
vision for making life better
for the Bahamas".
Mr Turnquest referred to his
long membership of the FNM
and long experience in various.
Cabinet posts. "I think I have a
tremendous amount of gov-
ernmental experience. I know
how the system works and how
to get the job done."
Since losing his seat in the
2002 election, Mr Turnquest
has had to lead the FNM from
the Senate. Critics have blamed
him, at least in part, for the
FNM's lacklustre performance
as an opposition force.

* SENATOR Tommy Turnquest

* BY DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
FREEPORT The Free
National Movement has said
it is outraged to learn of the
lay-off of an additional 135
workers from the Royal
Oasis Resort.
The workers were laid off
on Monday after power was
disconnected last Friday at
the property as a result
unpaid bill of nearly $500,000
to the Power Company.
The workers are demand-
ing immediate severance pay.
A small group of workers
gathered on Tuesday after-
noon at Workers House,
where they met with Bahamas
Hotel Catering and Allied
Workers union officials.
Resort senior vice presi-
dent Donald Archer said:
"We are most sensitive to the
impact that these layoffs will
have on the said employees
and our economy generally."
"It appears that Driftwood,
the parent company of that
corporate establishment, has
once again left the severance
pay tab to be picked up by
the Bahamian people," said a
party statement

Demonstration held by utilities workers

on employment and working practices

IMANUE CAN

* By TIFFANY GRANT
Tribune Staff Reporter
WATER and Sewerage Corporation
workers staged a protest yesterday claiming
that corporation is refusing to resolve a
number of outstanding labour issues.
Members of the Bahamas Utilities Ser-
vices Allied Workers Union (BUSAWU)
held the demonstration outside of the cor-
poration's head office on Thompson Boule-
vard.
The union has advised its members to
work with reduced enthusiasm and not to
work overtime.
Among the issues communicated to man-
agement were health and safety concerns,'
and the need for more vehicles for Water
and Sewerage officers in the Family Islands.
USAWU president Carmen Kemp added
that a new performance management sys-
tem (PMS) at the corporation should be
recalled.
"It was not properly implemented, a full-
scale study was not done. I say a full-scale
because, they did not do an individual

assessment of our people to see what level
they are at before implementing this new
performance system."
She pointed out that the PMS was sup-
posed to be implemented for managers as
well as workers.
However, Ms Kemp claimed that the
managers' union has not signed onto the
PMS, which she said makes it discrimina-
tory.
She also questioned the hiring practices at
the corporation. '
"They are hiring a lot of temps unneces-
sarily. They are placing them where we
don't need them and where we need
them, the areas are being ignored."
The union also claimed that external per-:
sons are being interviewed for positions
prior to the jobs being advertised to current
workers.
"All available positions' are supposed to
be advertised... they are interviewing per-
sons without placing an advertisement on
the board, to say that the position is avail-
able."
Corporation Management held a press

conference immediately after the protest
in response to the union's claims.
General.Manager Abraham Butler said
that the PMS includes accountability for
every senior and junior employee of the
corporation.
"Each and every employee has a ten-
point performance plan and they are
reviewed by their immediate superior on a
quarterly bases. At the end of the year, you
would have an appraisal.
"We are recognising outstanding perfor-
mance, we are no longer in the business of
social promotion.
"To date, we have been fair, transpar-
ent, and have involved the union in most
major decisions affecting staff," said Mr
Butler.
He pointed out that whenever there is a
vacancy, the job is advertised for two con-
secutive weeks. Existing staff, he said, is
allowed to apply.
Management was "surprised by the
recent negative comments made by the
Bahamas Utilities Services Allied Work-
ers Union," said Mr Butler.

Protest organised to call for

resignation of Alfred Sears

* By CARA BRENNEN
Tribune Staff Reporter
THE Bahamas Democratic
Movement (BDM) yesterday
urged teachers and concerned
parents to join the party in a
massive demonstration to call
for the resignation of Educa-
tion Minister Alfred Sears.
The demonstration is set to
be held in Rawson Square next
Wednesday when the House of
Assembly reconvenes.
BDM leader Cassius Stuart
said that education has reached
a crisis that has been brought
on by the fact that many schools
were is a state of disrepair at
the start of the school year.
"After all the cries from our
teachers and parents to fix the

problems in our schools, we still
see one problem after the next.
The line has been drawn in the
sand; the minister of education
must go. We have one too many
problems in the ministry of edu-
cation under the leadership of
this minister," he said.
Mr Stuart held a press con-
ference yesterday at DW Davis
junior high school, where teach-
ers are currently protesting
working conditions by staging
an ongoing sit-in.
"It is a 'shame that in every
corner of our country, there are
complaints of the conditions of
our schools. Schools in
Eleuthera, Grand Bahama,
Andros, San Salvador, and New
Providence have serious com-
plaints.

"In this 21st century, why
can't we be able to buy chairs
for our children to sit in? It is
unacceptable that some of our
classes don't have teachers to
teach," he said.
"Since Mr Christie is refus-
ing to speak, the time has now
come for the nation to speak
and to stand up for our children
and our teachers. We must
speak loudly and clearly that
we will not tolerate this slack
government any longer.
"Our nation appears to be
leaderless and without direc-
tion. The PLP promised help
and hope but instead we got
helplessness and hopelessness,"
he said.
He urged teachers, parents
and students in Grand Bahama

to assemble in front of the
Office of the Prime Minister on
that day and for persons in the
Family Islands to assemble in
front of their Commissioner's
office and demand better
schools.

IN APRIL the Airport Authority
announced that Nassau International Airport
would be under new management in a matter
of months pending successful negotiations
then in progress with government and the
Vancouver Airport Authority.
It is now September, but there is no sign
of new management at NIA. Instead, the buzz
around the airport in the last few weeks has
been that negotiations with the Vancouver
group have collapsed. According to the
rumours the sticking points were airport con-
cessions and security.
After much checking we have discovered
that the rumours were an exaggeration of the
truth. Although Vancouver Airport Services
(YVARAS) is still interested in investing $250
million in NIA and taking over the manage-
ment, it has become frustrated with negotia-
tions that have taken an unexpected turn, a
source told us. Thinking that the deal had
been completed with a handshake, needing
only formalities of signatures, YVARAS has
discovered that with the entrance of Baltron
Bethel as chief negotiator, assisted by the
hotel corporation's accountant Deepak Bhat-
nagar, attempts are being made to "change
the deal". YVRAS is not pleased.
"They are now trying to squeeze every last
ounce out of the Vancouver group that would
,make the project non-viable," our source told
us.
At the beginning of August Transport and
Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin told
The Tribune that negotiations with the Van-
couver group were continuing. "They are very
fruitful and will be concluded very shortly,"
she said. It was then that she announced that
the negotiations were being presided over by
a team headed by Baltron Bethel.
"Government is dealing with professional
managers who know how to run airports," we
were told. "They are also businessmen who
will have to have revenue to support the pro-
ject. They must also make money. They will
have to have a passenger tax and be able to
open up and increase the airport concessions."
Asked if the rumour were true that Mr
Bethel was now negotiating with a German
group, thus further irritating YVRAS, our
source did not think there was any truth to
this. However, he believed that the German
group's name had been bandied about, prob-
ably just as a veiled negotiating threat. Fraport
Worldwide Services of Frankfurt, Germany,
had' een among the four finalists selected by

government for the airport project; -.
All we know for a fact is that the negotia-
tions are not going smoothly and it would be
advisable for Prime Minister Christie to inves-
tigate if he wants to fulfil his latest pledge to
Atlantis whose owners vowed they would not
launch Phase III of the resort's extension
unless there was a luxury airport to match
their investment.
At the opening of the Marina Village on
Paradise Island on July 26, Mr Christie
announced that he planned to provide a first-
class facility that would reflect the class and
comfort that Atlantis guests would expect.
"In the very final analysis we will match
you pound for pound," he promised Sol
Kerzner, and added: "By mid-August you will
begin to see the first indication of the new
relationship for the airport."
It is now almost the end of September and
there is not even a shadow of a "relationship"
appearing at NIA. All we hear are sour notes
coming from the negotiating room, with the
favoured bidder on the verge of pushing his
chair away and going home.
If this happened it would be a calamity.
Only last week The Tribune was told that
Baha Mar at Cable Beach was also working
with the Bahamas Hotel Association and
Kerzner International to encourage govern-
ment to make improvements at the airport.
It was in November last year that Butch
Kerzner, Kerzner International's president
and chief executive officer, said that he had
"tons of confidence" that government would
deliver on its Heads of Agreement. There-
fore it was hoped that the main $700 million
part of the Phase III expansion would start
early this year.
"We continue to have discussions, and we
have tons of confidence that the government is
moving forward with these things upgrading
of NIA, BEC's ability to provide the required
power and transportation issues -but we have
to the end of the year (2004) to make that
decision," said Mr Kerzner last year.
Mr Kerzner must have opened this year still
with "tons of confidence" because, true to his
word, Phase III is underway. It is now the end
of September and the modernisation of Nas-
sau International Airport is still in the land of
promises with ugly rumours of collapse
swirling around.
It's now time for the Prime Minister to take
over from Mr Bethel and deliver on his "hand-
shake" deal with Vancouver.

Why good

information

is needed

EDITOR, The Tribune
I WAS disturbed ly the Sep-
tember 19, 2005 Insight's article
by John Marquis, in particular
the caption given to the file
photo of a young black man.
The captions read:
"Haitians, unlike Bahamians,
are volatile and impatient peo-
ple. They like things done their
way."
This appears to be racial pro-
filing. What makes Mr Marquis
think that the character and
behaviour of a people can and
should be summarised and con-
demned in one short sentence?
Half way through the article,
Mr Marquis concedes that some
Haitians are "afiifong the most
cultured and creative", but
overall the article is more
inflammatory than objective.
Racial profiling paved the way
for Hitler's Final Solution for
German Jews, the so-called
"vermin" of Germany society.
If we start racial profiling with
Haitians, where do we stop? We
could demonise or demean any
ethnic group or section of soci-
ety with a few well chosen
words. To what purpose?
It may well be argued that a
large influx of a different cul-
tural group in these small
islands will have an adverse
impact on our culture. Does this
justify racial profiling? Bahami-
an society already suffers an
excess of violence: assaults,
rapes, murders. Is the journal-
ist's only mission to increase cir-
culation? Or does he have a
moral responsibility to the soci-
ety he informs?
Mr Marquis' articles highlight
another problem: speculative
journalism has free rein in the
Bahamas because the govern-
ment does not collect or will not
provide statistical or other infor-
mation to give a realistic pic-
ture of illegal immigration, or
any other issue, whose effects
are felt, but not accounted for.
By withholding real infor-
mation, it is easier for the gov-
ernment to manipulate its peo-
ple, treat them like mush-
rooms, and carry on without
accountability. But sensation-
alist journalism shows the knife
cuts both ways: the media can
also exploit the information
void to fill the vacuum with
alarmist reporting. Fanning the
flames of racial prejudice is no
more in this country's interest
than flooding it with illegal
immigrants.
Often in history, and in our
own times, a lacklustre govern-
ment, in a desperate bid to
maintain power, diverts atten-

tion from its deficiencies by cre-
ating a focus of fear, usually of
"aliens in our midst/at our bor-
ders."
Already, the PLP govern-
ment has made some ill-defined
promises about addressing the
Haitian "problem." Ironically,
Mr Marquis' article may have
played the anti-PLP Tribune
into the PLP's hand, by help-
ing confirm that Haitian immi-
gration is the number one issue:
a new racial platform for the
PLP to bounce back into power
(assuming that the PLP's tradi-
tional anti-white platform is too
worn-out to be re-cycled).
Mr Marquis cannot provide
any statistical information
because he can't get it from the
government. So we still do not
know "the truth". We do not
know if numbers justify the pre-
eminence given to the Haitian
"problem". Yet this matter is
likely to determine the outcome
of the next election at the
expense of other serious issues
impacting the country: educa-
tion, corruption, crime, law
enforcement, the judicial sys-

tem, lack of public service, polit-
ical and professional account-
ability.
We don't have real informa-
tion. But then, we are only the
electorate of this country. We
matter for just the brief moment
we hold the voter's card in our
hands, and put in motion the
next five years which govern
our lives.
We do have fast-talking,
slow-moving politicians. We
need less promises, and more
delivery. Foremost, we need
information on public services,
public corporations, public
records, public departments, the
Public Treasury, public spend-
ing, immigration, and regulato-
ry agencies. There can be no
"transparency" without infor-
mation.
To build a functioning demo-
cratic society, we need infor-
mation to make informed and
intelligent decisions, firstly,
about who is fit to govern. Or
we can continue to move away
from the rule of law and toward
the "disorder and confusion"
that (according to Mr Marquis'
article), characterises our Hait-
ian neighbour.
LEANDRA ESFAKIS
Nassau
September 23 2005

Need to focus

on education

EDITOR, The Tribune
ALL fun and jokes aside,
but Ray Charles could see,
even from where he is now,
that the PLP Government,
led by Perry Christie, does
not appear to care about the
education of our nation's
youth. This is evident by the
disgraceful deterioration of
the schools, and the serious-
ness of the renovations in
time for school to reopen.
Right-thinking Bahamians
are numbed by the seeming
lack of concern for our youth.
This begs the question: Is
there a committee meeting
to decide how to manage the
schools? Shouldn't the com-
plete administering of the
schools be now placed with
a school board, selected by
the school's PTA and con-
trolled by the selected par-
ents?
Isn't it high time for the
children to be given priority
rather than some foreign
investor who never delivers
on the promises made to a
gullible Prime Minister? The
Bahamian people are not as
stupid as the Prime Minister
or any of his cabinet mem-
bers seem to think.
The proposed school board

could then rid itself of politi-
cians who would only use the
schools as pawns anyway.
The teachers would also be
able to take home the salaries
that they deserve rather than
buying books and other
teaching equipment because
an uncaring government does
not make available in the
budget monies to purchase
supplies.
The board would also
retain a sensible maintenance
crew that would plan and
execute the maintenance of
the school year round. This
would eliminate the Minister
of Education, whoever he
may be, from going on
national television to talk
about the inconsistencies of
the Ministry of Education
and Ministry of Works. The
Bahamian does not believe
anything that was said by the
minister, because we all
know that it was just a lame
excuse.
We deserve more, and I
hope the Bahamian people
remember how they were
treated by this uncaring, self-
ish PLP government.
IVOINE W INGRAHAM
Nassau
September 2005

By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
CLAIMS that the govern-
ment of Venezuela is seeking a
hted Material 50 per cent stake in a Bahamian
ated Content National Energy Agency have
mercial News Providers" been adamantly refuted by the
chairman of the Fuel Usage
Committee.
In the Nassau Guardian, an
unnamed source was quoted as
stating that Prime Minister Per-
ry Christie's Cabinet is having
"serious problems" with the
Venezuelans becoming partners
in the energy agency.
It was alleged that the clause
was a part of the PetroCaribe
accord being offered by the gov-
ernment of Venezuela.
PetroCaribe is a government-
to-government agreement on
fuel between Venezuela and
several countries in the
Caribbean that has been pro-
posed by Venezuelan president
Hugo Chavez.
However, according to chair-
man of the Fuel Usage Com-
mittee Vincent Coleby, there is
no such clause, and Venezuela
has expressed no interest in hav-
ing any percentage of the
National Agency.
The Fuel Usage Committee

N LESLIE Miller

is the body that made the pre-
sentation to Cabinet on the
PetroCaribe deal.
"I sat in on several discus-
sions in Jamaica and Puerto La
Cruz, and that is not something
that they are insisting on. But
we don't know who is making
these claims, and it bothers me
that people don't reveal these
sources," he said.
Other members of the com-
mittee echoed Mr Coleby's sen-

timents, saying that the Petro-
Caribe accord is by far the most
transparent and beneficial
agreement for fuel they have
come across.
Speaking with The Tribune
yesterday, Minister of Trade
and Industry Leslie Miller said
the notion that the Venezuelan
government wants a 50 per cent
stake in the Bahamas' energy
agency is "absolutely ridicu-
lous".
"It's insulting how these peo-
ple could just make up lies, and
come out with this foolishness.
In our discussions with the offi-
cials in Venezuela that point
was never ever put on the table
with us. I don't know where the
reporter got that information
from but I'd be happy to give
the press a copy of the propos-
al given to us by Venezuela. It's
a transparent document.
"If you find some 50 per cent
clause you could let me know.
Again, there is this small group
that have their own selfish, vest-
ed interests."
"The Bahamas can and will
benefit from signing on to
PetroCaribe. I look forward to
the signing day, which will hap-
pen more sooner than later,"
Mr Miller said.

New card scheme launched for jitneys

* By CARA BRENNEN
Tribune Staff Reporter
THE Public Transit Associa-
tion yesterday launched a new
service designed:to save their
customers time and money
while traveling on their jitneys.
The association's new flash
cards will allow jitney passen-
gers to take an unlimited
amount of rides each month by
purchasing a special card in
advance.
PTA president Reuben Rah-
ming, told The Tribune that the
new system will begin on Sat-
urday when the cards go on sale
at the Marathon Mall. Each
flash card allows the holder to
ride clearly marked PTA buses
as often as they wish for that
month.
The only added cost would
be on longer routes, which are

priced at $1.25 or $1.50. In that
case, he said the passenger
would just have to pay the extra
quarter or fifty cents.
Mr Rahming said the new
service is extremely beneficial
to both the association and pas-
sengers.
He said that as the associa-
tion would have a steady
income it could put back into
improving the system, while the
passengers would have the con-
venience of not having to search
for money every time they ride.
"It allows them to budget for
the month and not to have to
worry that toward the end of
the month they have run out of
money."
Cards are now available for
the month of October at $40
each. He explained that this is
an introductory rate, as the
association is using the month of

October as a test run. The price
may increase slightly as the sys-
tem is modified.
To start with the flash cards
are for use on weekdays only,
although Mr Rahming said that
too could change.
In an effort to regulate the
system, the cards are marked
for individual passenger use
against the person who pur-
chases them.
For example, every card is
colored-coded : white for
female students, yellow for
women, red for male students,
and green for men.
In order to prevent the false
duplication of cards, the design
of the card will change for the
month and the cards feature
special security features such as
holographics.
In addition to being available
at the mall on Saturday, flash

cards are also available by call-
ing the association at 380-8190.
Mr Rahming also said that
the PTA is looking to hire
"persons of character" to be
trained as public service drivers
for the association and invited
interested persons to call in.

* PETER Young

British honorary

consul appointed

FOLLOWING the recent
closure of the British High
Commission in Nassau, the
British government has
announced the appointment
of Mr Peter Young, OBE, as
British Honorary Consul in
the Bahamas.
Mr Young served as British
High Commissioner to the
Bahamas from 1996 to 1999.
Educated at Haileybury
College and at Williston
Academy, Massachusetts as
an English Speaking Union
exchange scholar, Mr Young
served in the Royal Marines
and on secondment to the
Royal West Africa Frontier
Force as a second lieutenant
before attending Cambridge
University where he gained
BA and MA honours degrees.
During a career in Her
Majesty's Diplomatic Service
he had postings in British
Embassies, High Commissions

and Consulates-General in
France, Bulgaria, Nigeria and
South Africa as well as at the
United Kingdom Mission to
the United Nations in Geneva.
Between these postings he
served at the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office in
London dealing with policy
on Africa, and with the rede-
velopment of the Falkland
Islands following the 1982
conflict with Argentina.
In 1989, he was elected a
Fellow of the Chartered Insti-
tute of Personnel and Devel-
opment and was awarded an
QBE in 1995.
Since retiring from the
diplomatic service on com-
pletion of his posting as High
Commissioner to the
Bahamas, Mr Young and his
wife, Verona, have resided in
Nassau.
They have two grown-up
sons.

* By NATARIO McKENZIE
A 36-YEAR-OLD Cow Pen
Road man was arraigned in the
magistrates court on house-
breaking and stealing charges
yesterday.
Sheldon Alonzo Moxey aka
Sam Anthony who appeared
before Magistrate Marilyn
Meers pleaded not guilty to
breaking into the home of
Rochelle Moss situated on Hol-
lywood Subdivision.
The incident is alleged to
have taken place sometime
between 9am and 2.30pm on
Wednesday September 21.
Moxey also denied stealing
$8,353 in clothing, perfumes and
various housing fixtures from
the house.
He was granted bail in the
sum of $8,000 with two sureties.
The matter was adjourned to
January 18 2006.
Another Cowpen Road man
was arraigned along with Mox-
ey for allegedly receiving some
of the items.
Court dockets stated that 44-
year-old Ian Samuel Butler
received $582 worth of the
stolen goods between Wednes-
day September 21 and Friday
September 23.
Butler pleaded not guilty to
the charge and was granted bail
in the sum of $2,000 with one
surety.
The matter was adjourned to
January 18 2006.
A 21-year-old Hugh Street
man was granted $7,500 bail

after pleading not guilty to a
drug charge yesterday.
It is alleged that on Thursday
September 22 Dexter Jonathan
Gardiner was found in posses-
sion of 13 foil wraps amount-
ing to one ounce of marijuana.
Gardiner, who appeared before
magistrate Carolita Bethel yes-
terday,, allegedly intended to
supply the drugs to another.
The matter was adjourned to
March 21 2006.
Three women were each
granted bail in the sum of

$2,000 after denying that they
stole a dog.
Court dockets state that on
Thursday June 16, 26-year-old
Sophie Mckenzie, 20-year-old
Antonia Bain both of
Pinewood Gardens along with
25-year-old Winfred Dixon of
Kemp Road, stole a $1,500 Mal-
tese which was the property of
Edwardo Collie.
The women were arraigned
before magistrate Marilyn
Meers. The matter was
adjourned to January 18 2006.

* By FELICITY INGRAHAM
Tribune Staff Reporter
COMMUNITY figures are
calling on the Ministry of Social
Services to consult more widely
with the public as it prepares a
new bill to protect the rights of
children,
The Ministry's Permanent
Secretary Barbara Burrows con-
firmed yesterday that the sec-
ond draft of a new Act has been
sent to Social Services by the
Attorney General's Office.
At present there is a Chil-
dren's and Young Person's
Administration of Justice Act,
which mainly deals with the
protection of abused, neglect-
ed, or uncontrollable children -
children in need of special care
or protection.
It is also the legislation which
governs the Willie Mae Pratt
Center for Girls and the Simp-
son C Penn Center for Boys.

The proposed new legislation
will take into account the Unit-
ed Nation's Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
In making a report on the
state of the world's children in
2002, the United Nations Chil-
dren's Fund (UNICEF) said
that "despite outstanding exam-
ples of progress for children in
the last decade, most govern-
ments have not lived up to the
promises made at the 1990
World Summit for Children".
UNICEF executive director
Carol Bellamy said: "Given the
accumulation of resources and
know-how in the world today,
we have really fallen short of
our collective potential. Some
of us have achieved great things,
but collectively we have under-
achieved," she said.
Ms Burrows admitted that
the present act is outdated. The
new Act aims to be relevant to
current situations in the

Activists are concerned that a

new human rights act will fail to

address problems in the future

Bahamas, she said.
However, youth counsellor
Andrew Albury is concerned
that by the time it is passed, the
new legislation will already be
outdated.
"The people responsible for
reviewing this second draft must
be visionary about the chal-
lenges that are to come for our
youth and not just change it to
suit the problems of today," he
said.

Expression

Mr Albury has been coun-
selling troubled children for
many years. He said the new
Act should not be passed until
the nation's children have been
given the opportunity to voice
their opinion.
Children, he said, need the
opportunity to express them-
selves.
The group Bahamian Fathers
For Children Everywhere
(BFFCE) shares his sentiment.
BFFCE president Clever
Duncombe is calling on the gov-
ernment to allow town meet-
ings to be held to garner the
opinions of the wider society on
the proposed changes.
The implementation of a new
Act in accordance with the UN
Convention will mean good
news for fathers, he said.
Article 18 of the convention
says: "States parties shall use
their best efforts to ensure
ri6togition oi-tefhe.principle h'
both parentS hive co'mtritbni

* CLEVER Duncombe

responsibilities for the upbring-
ing and development of the
child."
Mr Duncombe said: "IWhat
the article is saying is that
whether or not children are
born outside of the traditional
family structure, or out of wed-
lock, all rights should apply to
all children equally."
"Fathers are telling me that
they want to play a crucial role
in the moulding and shaping of
their children in this critical time
in our society. I would like to
knpw from the government
wh re this is on their priority

list."
According to the latest gov-
ernment figures, from 1991 to
2001, 137 children were born to
mothers who were between 10
and 14 years old. Few statutory
prosecutions occurred because
many of the fathers were in the
same age group, the figures
state.
In 2001, 13 per cent of record-
ed births were to mothers aged
13 to 19.
There were 5,353 live births
recorded in 2001. However,
only 4,495 children were regis-
tered. .

The passage of the Act would
allow the government to
enforce Article Seven of the
Convention, which states: "The
child shall be registered imme-
diately after birth and shall have
the right from birth to a name,
the right to acquire a nationali-
ty, and as far as possible, the
right to know and be cared for
by his or her parents."

Citizenship

Articles Seven and Eight of
- the-convention are important
to local activist and attorney
Eliezer Regnier, who warns that
many children born in the
Bahamas "are walking around
like zombies" because they
have no legal status.
Article Eight states: "Where
a child is illegally deprived of
some or all of the elements of
his or her identity, States parties
shall provide appropriate assis-
tance and protection, with a
view to re-establishing speedily
his or her identity."
Mr Regnier said some-
Bahamians hold the "barbaric
belief" that Haitian children
should not be entitled to health
care, education, and social ser-
vices.
He said that in his opinion,
Haitian children should be
granted Bahamian status from
birth, instead of at age 18.
Meanwhile, Amnesty Inter-
national has weighed in on the
issue, in light of the fact that
the new Act is near comple-
tion.
The Bahamas' spokesman for
the human rights group RE'
Barnes said: "As human beings,
children are entitled to all the
rights guaranteed by the Uni-
versal Declaration of Humanr
Rights. But children also need
special protection and care.
"It is vital for the Bahamas
to enact legislation to protect.
the rights of children."

New justice sworn in

END OF SUMMER SALE

4 DAYS ONLY

September 28th October 1st

OF

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST* ALL SALES FINAL SORRY NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS
| *-A(ji[' VALID FOR REGULAR PRICED ITEMS ONLY

* By KARAN MINNIS
MINISTRY of Health Par-
liamentary Secretary Ron Pin-
der has claimed that the
Caribbean can be proud of its
success in reducing mother-to-
child transmission of
HIV/AIDS.
Speaking at the opening cer-
emony of the CHART Pre-
vention of Mother to Child
HIV Transmission (PMTCT)
workshop, Mr Pinder said:
"Many amazing and interest-
ing things have already
occurred within the frame-
work of this workshop."
"Powerful networks have
been assembled which have
gigantic potential for you to
return to your countries well
equipped to expand your
PMTCT programme and expe-
rience the joy and satisfaction
of saving lives and providing

health care at a higher level."
There are approximately 40
million persons living with
HIV/AIDS in the world.
"Of these, some 440,000 are
from the Caribbean region,"
Mr Pinder said. "But perhaps
the most unfortunate victims
of all are innocent children
who were infected via their
HIV-infected mothers."
According to Mr Pinder, for
the Bahamas, the prevention
of mother-to-child HIV infec-
tions has generated a "warrior
spirit", as government, private
institutions and civic organi-
zations have all joined hands
to fight. HIV/AIDS on sever-
al fronts.
"And although there is mea-
sured progress with regards
to prevention and clinical
management as well as
research and training, no suc-
cess story shines as brightly as

the reduction in the infections
of HIV as a result of mother-
to-child transmission."

Identifying

He said that in an effort to
combat this problem, it has
become government policy for
pregnant mothers at risk of
passing on the virus to their
children to be identified and
given treatment at the public
health department's regular
ante-natal clinics.
"The end result here is that
the chances if the virus being
passed on from mother to
child is dramatically reduced
while life saving potential is
significantly increased," he
said.
Mr Pinder said the success
of the Bahamas PMTCT pro-
gramme can be duplicated in

each of the countries repre-
sented at the workshop.
Present at the workshop
were representatives from the
United Stated of America,
Africa and varies Caribbean
countries.

* RON Pinder

Registration for

Visa lottery to

start next week

THE US Embassy in Nas-
sau has announced that regis-
tration for the 2007 Diversity
Visa Lottery will begin in
October.
Each year, the US Depart-
ment of State makes 50,000
permanent residence visas
available to applicants from
around the world through the
lottery.
Successful applicants are
permitted to move with their
families to the United States
on a permanent basis.
The State Department says.
the diversity visas are intend-
ed to provide an immigration
opportunity for persons from
countries other than those
which traditionally send large
numbers of immigrants to the
US.
Registration for the 2007
Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery
will begin at noon on Octo-
ber 5.
Persons seeking to enter the
lottery programme must reg-
ister online through the desig-
nated internet website during
the registration period.
The website for registering
for the 2007 DV Lottery -
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov

- will be available from noon
October 5 through noon
December 4 2005.
In response to demand, the
department says it has tripled
the, number of servers host-
ing the registration website
this year.
In addition, persons sub-
mitting entries to the 2007
lottery will receive a notice
of receipt containing their
name, date of birth, country
and a time and date stamp
when information has been
properly registered at:
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov.
There is no fee charged for
entering the lottery. The
Department of State said it
does not endorse, recommend
or sponsor any information
or material from outside enti-
ties.
Registration for the Diver-
sity Visa Lottery through the
official, US government web-
site is free of charge and noti-
fication of winning entries are
sent by mail only, the depart-
ment said.
Additional information can
be found at the US Embassy
Nassau website: http://nas-
sau.usembassy.gov.

VACANCY NOTICE

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTC) invites applications
from suitably qualified individuals for the position of Senior Manager/Marketing
Communications, Advertising & Public Relations.

This position will report to the Vice President of Marketing & Sales and is
specifically responsible for developing the Marketing Communications Plan
in support of Product Development and Product Management including
developing and coordinating public relations opportunities to elevate company
and product awareness.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Managing brand identity and ensuring consistency across all mediums.
2. Manager development of communications strategies and campaigns to
support product marketing, channel marketing and partner marketing.
3. Develop press releases, speeches, articles.
4. Develop ideas and secure opportunities for feature articles, interview,
presentations, speaking and other public relations activities that promote
awareness of the company and its products or services.
5. Field and direct responses to all media-related inquires.
6. Manage the design media and press opportunities that compliment
marketing plans.
7. Manage the organization and coordination of media efforts at conferences
and special events.
8. Manage and direct activities with public relations agencies to create copy
and media for company promotional material.
9. Manage and tract public relations aspects of customer promotional
programs.
10. Manage interactive marketing with specific responsibility for interactive
communications in the areas of e-marketing, web development, and
advertising.
11. Manager marketing web site strategy and tract and manage expenditures
to marketing budget.
12. Tract and manage expenditure to the advertising, promotions, and public
relations budget.
13. Recruiting, selection, and hiring of qualified marketing communication
personnel.
14. Develop and implement training plans for the individuals and group.
15. Develop and implement individual improvement programs to enhance
subordinate performance in functional areas.
16. Set performance goals consistent with corporate objectives.
17. Conduct annual performance evaluations on all subordinates.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

1. A Bachelors Degree or higher in Marketing, Public Relations or Business
with a minimum of ten (10) years public relations experience in a high
technology industry and five years in marketing functions in a high tech
company.
2. An advanced degree such as MBA would be desirable.

All applications are to be received at BTC's Head Office, 21 John F Kennedy
Drive, no later than Wednesday, October 5, 2005 and addressed as follows:

"Migration is an age-old
response to different opportuni-
ties either within or across inter-
national borders, to be managed
by governments as an opportu-
nity, not solved as a problem.
The ideal world is one where
there are few migration barriers
and enforcement expenditures,
because there is little unwanted
migration."
2005 World Migration
Report

N a recent editorial head-
ed "Taking Political
Risks". the Financial Times
praised the Bush administration
for pressing ahead with immi-
gration reform.
"As his leadership ratings
plummet...it is surprising Mr
Bush is willing to expend polit-
ical capital on an unpopular
cause.
"Immigration in the US is
now at levels not seen for a cen-
tury. Since the last significant
reform in 1986, the number of
illegal immigrants working in
the US has more or less tripled
to an estimated 10 million.
"The US economy's seem-
ingly limitless appetite for cheap
workers consistently trumps
government attempts to crack
down on illegal entrants."

That 1986 reform sought to
punish employers while giving
amnesty to illegals. The current
proposal calls for a guest work-
er programme, with incentives
for migrants to return home
when their contract expires.
"Reform must begin by con-
fronting a basic fact of life and
economics," Mr Bush said
recently. "Some of the jobs
being generated are jobs Amer-
ican citizens are not filling. Yet
these jobs represent a tremen-
dous opportunity for workers
from abroad who want to
work."
Americans who are mostly
the descendants of immigrants -
have had a long-running and
often incendiary debate over
immigration, which parallels our
own. And we should remember
that every Bahamian is a
descendent of immigrants.
Recent years have seen a
popular backlash against illegal
aliens in both the US and the
Bahamas, with calls to drive
them out and deter their entry
by cutting access to medical and
other public services. The offi-
cial policy response in both
countries has been interdiction
and return at great cost and
with little result.
Of course, anti-immigrant
movements are nothing new.

TOUGH CAI

Grassroots campaigns that
blame immigrants for job losses
and declining wages, as well as
for crime and public health
crises occur anywhere there is a
large immigrant population.
The Bahamas is in good com-
pany in this regard.
In Britain during the 1960s,
for example, Conservative
frontbencher Enoch Powell
called for an end to immigra-
tion and the expulsion of for-
eigners already in the country to
avoid apocalyptic racial conflict.
This became known famously

we force them underg
with our self-delusional
gration policies. The pr
is that we make it nearly
sible for the immigrants tc
here legally."
In the Bahamas toda
of thousands of H
migrants are marginalise
the rest of society, squat
illegal settlements vuln
and disenfranchised. An
children face strong barr
joining society. As one
mentator put it, "If we h
out to create an undercl

as the "Rivers of Blood"
speech.
But the apocalypse never
came, partly because a break-
down in social stability requires
powerful demagogues to lead
it, which thankfully are few in
contemporary Britain. The Tory
leadership disavowed Powell
and he died in relative obscuri-
ty in 1998.

Despite the potential
for rabble-rousing
that this issue has, economists
tend to agree that immigration
provides a net benefit to receiv-
ing countries. Immigrants fill
jobs that citizens reject, help
maintain competitiveness in the
global economy, stimulate job
creation in depressed neigh-
bourhoods, and contribute to
poverty reduction at home, they
say.
"Right now," said New York
Times columnist David Brooks,
reflecting the fears of many
ordinary Bahamians, "immi-
gration chaos is spreading a sub-
culture of criminality across
America. The system is out of
control.
"But we can't just act like
lunkheads and think we can
solve this problem with brute
force," he argued. "We're not
going to get this situation under
control until we understand this
paradox: Tough enforcement
laws make us feel good but they
don't do the job.
"We need these workers, but

could not have done a
job."
Our response so far,
growing problem whicl
and more people conside
a looming crisis has beE
ited and ineffectual. Succ
governments have rounc
and deported small batc

illegal immigrants since at least
the 1950s, and far from there
being an end in sight, the num-
bers and the costs only get big-
ger.
More to the point, there is
not enough information in the
public domain to support an
intelligent debate on policy
options to address this issue. In
fact, we don't even know how
many Haitians (and others) are
living amongst us, much less
what they are thinking or doing.

n 1980, there were "offi-
cially" 11,000 Haitians
recorded in a total population of
240,000. In 2000, the official
count was 21,000, or 7 per cent
of the population. But more
realistic estimates put the num-
ber of illegal Haitians today at
25 per cent of the current pop-
ulation of 310,000 or some
78,000.
So the government recently
asked the International Orga-
nization for Migration for help.
The IOM is an inter-govern-
mental agency that developed
from efforts to resolve refugee
problems following World War
Two. And experts from the

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IOM are now reviewing our
Hi border controls and counting
illegals in the country.
On balance, the IOM thinks
migration is a good thing: "In
our shrinking world, govern-
ments will need to develop
sound migration policies and
practices. Properly managed,
round migration can contribute to
immi- prosperity, development and
problem mutual understanding."
impos- Its recently published report
o come addresses the costs and bene-
fits of world migration, which
y, tens affects all 190 sovereign nations.
aitian The UN expects there to be
d from about 185 million internation-
ting in al migrants this year.
erable Experts say we should be
d their globalising our labour markets
tiers to as we have done with goods and
com- services: "Restrictive migration
had set regimes contradict the increas-
ass, we ingly open flow of goods, capital
and foreign direct invest-
ments...an asymmetry that tries
to correct itself through irregu-
lar and clandestine migration."
The IOM urges programmes
e like that which the Bush admin-
istration is advocating. In this
e view, countries like the
Bahamas benefit from a moti-
vated workforce that fills gen-
uine labour needs, while
migrants benefit from expanded
access to legal (but temporary)
employment in higher-income
countries.
It should be clear to most of
us that the Bahamian construc-
better tion and agricultural industries
would collapse overnight with-
to this out immigrant labour. It is
h more equally clear that family remit-
-r to be tanices are important to the eco-
en lim- nomic survival of poor coun-
cessive tries like Haiti. And it is in our
ded up strong interest to support sta-
ches of bility and development in Haiti.

An innovative guest
worker programme
would go a long way towards
resolving our so-called "Hait-
ian Problem" assuming that
the government could adminis-
ter it efficiently and honestly,

while taking the political risk of
confronting the demagogues on
every comer who will cry doom.
Such a policy could issue sec-
toral or category work permits
to protect migrants from
exploitation by employers and
allow them more freedom of
movement. And employers
could pay a monthly fee for
each foreign worker they
employed as an incentive to hire
locals first.
In Singapore, for example,
the government sets and regu-
larly revises flexible foreign
worker levies specific to the sec-
tor of employment and the skill
level of the migrant worker.
These revenues can be used to
help cover integration and
enforcement costs.
"Such a system would essen-
tially be based on a bargaining
process," the IOM says.
"Employers, workers and the
government (can) collectively
bargain over the number of for-
eign workers to be admitted,
and over the price that local
employers would pay...A mix-
ture of incentives and enforce-
ment is needed to facilitate the
return of migrant workers."
Incentives would include the
ability to travel freely, as well as
the transfer of social security
payments and savings to the
home country. Clear procedures
to remove those who overstay
their temporary visas would also
be needed, as well as penalties
for employers who abuse the
system. But all of this depends
on political will, something
which Bahamian governments
sadly lack.
"The success of any (guest
worker programme) ultimately
depends on the receiving coun-
try's willingness to strictly
enforce the law against all par-
ties recruitment agents,
employers, and migrants who
circumvent the programme,"
the IOM says.

Unfortunately, the
.immigration debate is

too often hijacked by negative,
populist sloganeering, which dis-
courages sound policy-making.
The anger and frustration of
ordinary Bahamians con-
fronting this issue is palpable,
but that is entirely the govern-
ment's fault. Information is
inadequate, diffuse and often
confusing, which only helps
those who want to politicize the
debate.
No doubt Health Minister Dr
Marcus Bethel was genuinely
concerned about the alarmist
information published in The
Tribune recently about Haitian
births outnumbering Bahami-
ans. If so, he would do well to
encourage his colleagues to dis-
cuss the matter openly and
ensure that the press has access
to information.
And we can get a glimpse of
the advice that the IOM con-
sultants will soon be giving our
government by reading the
World Migration report
(http://www.iom.int/iomweb-
.site/). This document says that
the integration of immigrants
should be a national priority:
"Failure to integrate immi-
grants and minorities can exac-
erbate social and economic
schisms and fragment societies
along ethnic, racial and religious
lines. The risk lies in creating a
visible minority underclass that
is dysfunctional and unrecep-
tive to policy intervention. Such
an outcome would further
(aggravate) disparities and (cre-
ate) a downward spiral of
poverty, ghettoization and
despair."
Integration, as we all know,
touches on issues of culture and
belonging, nationality, identity
and citizenship that are critical
for any society seeking to
ensure social stability.
Approaches to integration
range from segregation to
assimilation.
Unless Bahamians want to
become Haitianised, our goal
should be assimilation of
migrants within Bahamian cul-
ture. But the IOM says this "is

based on the expected outcome
of full citizenship, and sharing of
common civic values with the
native population."
Continuing to exclude, deni-
grate and exploit the Haitian
community .will have serious
repercussions. The social and
economic costs of neglecting
migrants will be immeasurable,
and our politicians must under-
take some unaccustomed lead-
ership to avoid this.

G-eorge Bush said
recently that Ameri-
cans must set "high expectations
for what new citizens should
know. An understanding of
what it means to be an Ameri-
can is not a formality in the nat-
uralization process, it is essential
to full participation in our
democracy."
In a 1994 article on Haitian
immigration, Education Minis-
ter Alfred Sears who is also
the attorney-general pointed
to a "growing phobia" among
Bahamians that could "explode
into violent confrontation."
He called for an independent
body to regularise and begin the
integration of the Haitian com-
munity into Bahamian society,
including a nationwide public
education campaign focusing on
their contributions.
But the years drift by. And,
aside from Dion Foulkes, all we
have in terms of policy debate
are tired voices from the past
like Loftus Roker and George
Smith, who had their chance
and blew it.
So here we are today, con-
sumed by the fear that we may
soon be outgunned in our own
land while our politicians play
the fiddle. Perhaps an apoca-
lypse is on the cards after all.
What do you think?
Send comments to larry@tri-
bunemedia.net
Or visit www.BahamaPun-
dit.comTough call you can't
have your Haitian and eat him
too

Despite the potential for
rabble-rousing that this issu
has, economists tend to agre
that immigration provides a
net benefit to receiving
countries.

Unfortunately, the
immigration debate is too
often hijacked by negative,
populist sloganeering, which
discourages sound
policy-making.

PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THE TRIBUNE

Human Society ball

was 'a great success'

WEST END, Grand Bahama
- THE first annual Potcake Ball
on the beach is being hailed as a
great success.
Attended by more than 100
persons from Grand Bahama
and the US, the event proved
to be a great night according to
the Humane Society.
"We've been working hard to
get this event off the ground and
the Grand Bahama animal com-
munity and friends have really
pulled through. We are thrilled
with the turn out tonight" said
Renee Slone, co-manager of the
Humane Society. ,
The first annual Potcake Ball
was held at Old Bahama Bay
Resort and Yacht Harbour by
the infinity pool under perfect
balmy conditions.
Attendees dressed in a variety
of "barefoot elegance" which
included ball gowns, tuxedos,
island wear and even shorts.
They also enjoyed hors d'
oeuvres and cocktails before a

four-course dinner was served.
The night started with a bang,
as an anonymous donor
pledged $50,000 dollars towards
the Humane Society's new
building fund.
The silent auction brought in
an additional $5,025 and the
Humane Society's portion of
ticket and room package sales
raised another $4,486.
Private donations totalled
$1,250 and a new membership
drive held during the ball
brought in $1,750 in cash and
pledges for a total of $12,511.
"I am really impressed by the
food, service and the layout of
the event," said one attendee
"this has been a real different
experience and so much fun -
it's a great alternative."
The money raised will help
the Grand Bahama Humane
Society build a desperately
needed new shelter. "Unfortu-
nately we are perpetually over-
crowded and need much more

space and modern facilities for
all the strays and abandoned
dogs and cats we take in," stat-
ed Tip Burrows, GB Humane
Society co-manager. "We have

sent over 250 puppies and dogs
to US rescue groups and indi-
viduals in the past year through
our 'Operation Puppy Lift', and
are happy to report that all have
found loving permanent homes.
"For us to continue this pro-
gramme, funds are always need-
ed and a new facility where we
can properly take care of these
animals and better serve the
community here is imperative."
To find out more, call the
Humane Society on 352-2477.
Members of the public can join
the society's annual member-
ship, make a monthly contribu-
tion or even sponsor a dog or
cat's costs at the shelter.

LOST
AT MAJOR-ROBINSON
WEDDING RECEPTION

REWARD OFFERED
TEL: 327-1716 / 456-1538

BAHnMAS

MANUFACTURING
COMPANY LIMITED
Phone: 242-326-4121 Fax: 242-326-4124

We will be CLOSED
for STOCKTAKING
on Thursday 29th September
& Friday 30th September.
We will re-open on Monday 3rd October, 2005

Business Hours: Mon Fri 8am-5pm

* DRESSED in mock tuxedos the staff and Old Bahama Bay were having a ball too as they served
invited guests a four course meal by the pool for the first ever Potcake Ball.

Class closer to being lawyers

Shown at the Eugene
Dupuch Law School graduat-
ing ceremony on Saturday
night are dignitaries and the
graduating class of 2005.
In the front row from left to
right are: Keith Sobion, prin-
cipal of the Norman Manley
Law School in Jamaica; Pro-
fessor Andrew Burgess, judge
of the Administrative Tribunal
of the Inter-American Devel-
opment Bank, guest speaker;
Chairman of the Council of
Legal Education in the
Caribbean region J Emile Fer-
dinand; Miriam Samaru, prin-
cipal of the Eugene Dupuch
Law School; Chief Justice of
the Bahamas Sir Burton Hall;
Justice Anneshne Sealey, prin-
cipal of the Hugh Wooding
Law School in Trinidad and
Tobago.
Standing in the second row
from left to right are: Charlene
Sealy, Bahamas; Lorna Long-
ley, Bahamas; Darnell
Dorsette, Bahamas; Marlon
Moore, Trinidad and Tobago;
Tanisha Tynes, Bahamas;
Christopher Francis, Bahamas;
Natalie Sandiford, Barbados;
Bernadette Bain, Bahamas;
Gia Moxey, Bahamas; Priscilla
Paquette, Dominica and
Bernard Ferguson, Bahamas.
Standing in the third row
from left to right are: Sharmie
Farrington-Austin, Bahamas;

FROM page one
High School, visited The Tri-
bune yesterday to tell her story.
Breann Thompson, the moth-
er, said her "trustworthy"
daughter had been missing since
Sunday and had not called
home since.
Mrs Thompson said that on
Sunday morning Trevina's
father, Trevor Thompson, had
dropped his daughter off at
work around 7am at Curtsy
Food Store on Carmichael
Road.
"Her co-workers told us that
when Trevina arrived she found
out that she was off. She then
went to the phone to make a
call, but they don't know who

she was talking too," she said.
"But she wasn't calling home."
According to colleagues, after
making her call Trevina went
outside, where she was speaking
to a co-worker.
"The co-worker she was talk-
ing to left her outside to go back
to work. She couldn't say
whether my daughter got
picked up or if she walked to
the bus stop," said the mother.
"Sometime throughout the
day, Trevina spoke to her father
and told him she was at the
mall," she added. "She didn't
say who she was with or how
she got there or when she would
be home."
According to Mr Thompson,
he had called his daughter to
find out where she was.

"I had called her at work and
they said sht was off. So I called
her cellphone and she told me
she was at the mall. I told her to
come home since she was off,
but she didn't," he said.
"Other than that phone call
we haven't heard from her," he
said. "Whenever we call her
cell, she doesn't answer, no-one
does."
Mrs Thompson said that, on
speaking to three of Trevina's
friends, she discovered that they
had seen her at the mall and at
the "fish fry" on Sunday.
"One of her friends had seen
her in the mall, but she said
Trevina was by herself. Two
other girls said that when they
saw her at the fish fry she was
talking to six guys," said the

mother.
"Trevina stopped talking to
the guys to speak with the girls
and when they asked who she
was out with Trevina said she
was waiting on Corado, who is
supposed to be her boyfriend."
Mrs Thompson said she does-
n't know if Trevina and Corado
were really out together, but
she would like to know where
she is now.

Trevina's father said that
when he phoned Corado's
home, his mother told him that
she had not seen him since last
Friday.
According to her parents,
Trevina is about six feet tall and
weights about 225 pounds. She
is reported to be wearing a
black and white pin-stripe two-
piece pants set, with a pink
blouse.

Death threats

made against

school principal

FROM page one
else just piggy-backing off of that incident," he said.
The BUT's secretary general said the union will assess the situ-
ation and, if necessary, close down operations at Black Point
school.
"We will see when we get to Exuma what is happening, but if the
principal's life is in danger we will shut down the school and possibly
bring her back to New Providence with us," said Mrs Wilson.
She said it is the union's policy to do everything in its power to
ensure the safety of its members.
"It has become very tough these days for teachers, sometimes
even dangerous," she said.
Mrs Wilson said that, with the high frequency of parent/teacher
disputes in recent times, it is now time to review some of the pro-
fession's policies.
"We are going to have to look at some of our disciplinary poli-
cies. For instance we removed the stick from the schools, that may
be something that needs to be reviewed. We have to also look at
alternative disciplinary methods," she said.

Share your news
The Tribune wants to hear
from people who are
making news in their
neighbourhoods. Perhaps
you are raising funds for a
good cause, campaigning
for improvements in the
area or have won an
award.
If so, call us on 322-1986
and share your story.

FAMILY MEDICINE
MEDISPA

Featuring:
Dr. Chinyere-Carey-Bullard MD
AFMC Medical Director
* Canadian Board Certified Family Physician i,{ ,""""
* Family Medicine graduate from the University of Western Ontario
in Canada
* Member of the American Academy of Anti-aging

remains to be seen, however.
The former attorney general
has been known not to hold the
traditionalist trappings of
colonial Britain in high
regard.
"Everyone in town
knows how I feel about
things like that," he told
The Tribune in an abrupt
interview in which he
would not confirm or deny
that he was being consid-
ered for the post.
Nevertheless, Mr Adder-
ley has served as deputy to
the Governor General on
several occasions
when Dame Ivy was
unavailable to perform her
duties.
The Governor General
was not available for com-
ment up until press time
yesterday but The Tribune
was told by her office that
her decision to demit was
"free and voluntary".
Many said that when the
PLP came to power in
May, 2002, it was decided
that Dame Ivy would not
be asked to step down
immediately so as not to
give the appearance of the
new government conduct-
ing a "savaging" of FNM
appointees.

Speculation
Since then, there has
been speculation about a
number, of prominent PLPs
who may be able to fill the
position.
Sir Clement Maynard
told The Tribune yesterday
that he had not been asked
to fill the post when Dame
Ivy retires and said he did
not expect to be asked.
"Anyone would want to
accept the position of Gov-
ernor General and why
not, it's a significant posi-
tion, but I am retired
now," Sir Clement said.
Another name men-
tioned was that of former
PLP chairman and Fox Hill
MP George Mackey.
However, Mr Mackey
said that after two opera-
tions he is only concerned
about recuperating. "I'm
doing well, though," he
said.
Former Deputy Prime
Minister A D Hanna said
the position was not a con-
sideration of his. "It is not
something I would com-
ment on because I have not
thought about it," he said.
The name of former
Grand Bahama Port
Authority chairman Sir
Albert Miller was said to
be under consideration as
well.
The Tribune was unable
to speak to Sir Albert up
to press time yesterday.
It is expected that a state
farewell will be held in
honour of Dame Ivy, who
was appointed on January
1, 2002.

GEORGE TOWN, Exuma -
Exuma Cacique Awards recipi-
ents took the spotlight on Mon-
day when Exuma was featured in
a series of radio broadcasts ded-
icated to the Cacique Awards.
The Ministry of Tourism is
now accepting nominations for
the award, the nation's highest
accolade for tourism.
Members of-the public are
able to nominate individuals
and organisations in eight cate-
gories transportation, sustain-
able tourism development, cre-
ative arts, handicraft, human
resources development, sports
leisure and events, the minis-
ter's award for hospitality, and
the Clement -T Maynard life-

time achievement award.
Nominations close on Octo-
ber 14.
Tourism officials are using
the broadcast series to inform
communities throughout the
Bahamas about the Cacique
Awards and the outstanding
individuals who have accepted
the award since 1995, when it
was created.
In Exuma, the radio show
featured Samuel Rolle, 86, of
Rolle Town.
Mr Rolle and his brother,
Wilmore, received the Cacique
Award for sports and leisure in
1996. He was among the pio7-
neers of bonefishing as, a sport
and leisure activity for visitors.

Mr Rolle recalled that he first
fished for bonefish in order to
feed his family, but he later
started working as a guide for
visitors who came to Exuma
mainly from the United States.
It was Basil Minns, another
Cacique Award winner, who
introduced Mr Rolle to bone-
fishing as a career. Mr Minns
earned his Cacique Award in
1999 for nature tourism. He
remains a dedicated environ-
mentalist, working for preserv-
ing beaches and the natural
beauty of Exuma.
The Cacique Awards radio
.show. will also.,v.isit Gr;and
Bahama, Andros;,and ,Ab.Qo
before October 14.

The Zonta Club of Sani-
bel/Captiva (Florida) was
announced the winner of
the District 11 Governor's
Trophy at Zonta In Par-
adise, the District 11 con-
ference of Zonta Interna-
tional held on Paradise
Island at the weekend.
The club has adopted as

its primary focus an anti-
human trafficking cam-
paign, "bringing the exis-
tence of this modern day
slavery to the attention of
their newly elected local
sheriff and convincing him
to establish the Coalition
Against Human Trafficking
in SW Florida."

TWELVE-year-old Christo-
pher Sands captured top hon-
ours in the first Bahamas
National Optimist Champi-
onship sailed in Montagu Bay at
the weekend.
Sands, a member of the Nas-
sau Yacht Club and a St
Andrew's School student, placed
top overall and in his Blue Fleet
division, grabbing the Geoffrey
Holowesko Memorial Trophy.
Benjamin Myers and Dylan
Christie, both members of the
Royal Nassau Sailing Club and
St Andrew's School students,
finished second and third over-
all, and first in their Red and
White fleets, respectively.
Sands attributed his success

to his 'lucky sailboat' Bah #
61.
'I always use the same boat
and use the same sail,' he said,
conceding that skill may have
played a role.
Myers, 15, who has reached
the age limit on Optis, was
proud to take part in the nation-
al event.
"I like sailing with my friends.
I think it's good to have this
many people interested, and
hopefully they'll move into Sun-
fish and Lasers', the top junior
in the 2005 National Sunfish
Championship said.
Thirty-nine "Optis" dotted
the bay on Saturday and Sun-
day, creating a postcard pretty
picture in the first such cross-
culture event of its kind.

With the wind blowing a
steady eight to 12 knots, weath-
er conditions were perfect for
the eight-foot-long Olympic
class sailboats.
A feeling of festival filled the
air with skippers tooting their
"emergency whistles" in
Junkanoo rhythm during the
lunch breaks at Montagu Park.
Rotarian and Montagu MP
Brent Symonette flipped ham-
burgers for the junior skippers
in the Rotary lunch van while
his brother, prominent busi-
nessman Craig Symonette,.
piloted the spectators' boat he
volunteered into service.
His passengers included Ross
McDonald and Rebecca Moxey
of Royal Bank of Canada, the
platinum sponsor, the parents
and siblings of public school
children and private club mem-
bers.
Children and parents from
diverse backgrounds jammed
into the large wooden hall
of the Yacht Club Sunday
night and applauded loudly
as Minister of Youth and Sports
Neville Wisdom congratulated
the young skippers and
event organisers.
The five top overall winners
receive an all-expenses-paid trip
to the upcoming Orange Bowl
regatta in Miami.
Fourth and fifth place win-
ners Bianca Wagner Illing
(Royal Nassau Sailing Club)
and Michael Gibson (HO Nash
School) will join Sands, Myers
and Christie carrying the

Bahamian banner.
Gibson had only sailed six
weeks in the sailing programme
this summer before grabbing

fourth place overall.
John Lawrence of BSA, who
served as race committee chair-
man, told the minister it was

time for the government to
move ahead with its plans to
establish a national sailing cen- =-
tre.

PAGE 12, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THE TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

SECTION

business@tribunemedia.net

Miami Herald Business, Stocks, Analysis,

Wall Street

$1.2bn Cable

Beach project

goes beyond

initial limits

* By YOLANDA
DELEVEAUX
Senior Business
Reporter
Bahamian borrow-
ers are likely to
see the establish-
ment of a credit
bureau within the next two to
three years, the Clearing
Banks Association's chairman
said yesterday, as the banking
sector forges ahead with
efforts to develop a risk rating
system that will weed out reg-
ular loan defaulters.
Paul McWeeney, who is
also Bank of the Bahamas
International's managing
director, said that while a
credit bureau was fundamen-
tal to any developed, well-reg-
ulated financial system, one
of the stumbling blocks the
Bahamas faced in getting the
agency up and running was its
confidentiality laws.
Creating
In creating a credit bureau
for the banking and financial
services sector, Mr McWeeney
said the ongoing challenge was
to recraft the Bahamas' laws
to allow a credit bureau to
work as it should, exchanging
information between banks to
determine the quality of bor-
rowers.
A sub-committee was said
to be working on the credit
bureau's creation, and is cur-

''ti b. .

ce a.

I nexl~~. t,..w.

..HMO,

muters heading into down-
town Nassau. The properties
under question are opposite
SG Hambros Bank and Trust
(Bahamas) Ltd and the Radis-
son Cable Beach Resort's golf
course.
Anonymity
Speaking to The Tribune on
condition of anonymity, a
Government official said it.
wag understood that Baha
Mar had closed on the sale
with a number of private
homeowners early last week.
It is also understood that the
developer never indicated that
the land east of Goodman's

Bay was an area that they
were looking at. The Tribune
was further told that all of
Baha Mar's applications and
agreements with the Govern-
ment indicated that the $1.2
billion Cable Beach expansion
would stop at the current
Bahamas Development Bank
building.
The Government itself had
been interested in purchasing
the properties in question,
seeking to expand the limited
beach access Bahamians have.
in New Providence. Howev-
er, if the purchase has gone

SEE page 3B

McKinsey&Co in final stages of

Bahamasair privatisation report

a PAUL McWEENEY

rently gathering data from the
Bahamas' various commercial
banks to look at the cost struc-
ture for such a facility. Parallel
to this effort, the committee
is working with the Ministry
of Finance to ensure that an
appropriate legislative frame-

work is in place.
Asked about the possibili-
ty of abuses in the system, Mr
McWeeney said the Clearing
Banks Association wanted to

SEE page 2B

*' By YOLANDA DELEVEAUX
Senior Business Reporter
BAHAMASAIR'S management consultants,
McKinsey & Co, are in the final stages of com-
piling their report to the Government on the
airline's possible privatisation abnd restruc-
turing into a low-cost carrier, Paul Major, its
managing director, said yesterday.
Mr Major added that no further movement
had been made in regard to negotiations with
union officials on the salary and benefits reduc-
tions management believed were necessary if
Bahamasair was to be privatised and made
profitable.
The privatisationiprocess was still being pur-
sued, although McKinsey & Co has not yet

delivered its report.
Meanwhile, Mr Major said that while the
Caribbean Hotel Association's (CHA) white
paper, suggesting the integration of national
flag carriers into an 'Airlines of the Caribbean'
group, made sense philosophically, from a prac-
tical standpoint there were other factors at
play that would make any merger unlikely.
"I believe there is national interest and agen-
das [in the way]. I don't believe it is likely in the
foreseeable future," he said. "If consolidation
were to occur between airlines and the cor-
rect synergies implemented then yes, they could
achieve their objectives. Conceivably, yes, there

SEE page 4B

Questions over

the Crown Land

leasing strategy

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
THE Government should not arbitrarily lease Crown Land to
investors for multi-million dollar investment projects without
first consulting the Bahamian Parliament and people on how
best to use it, the attorney for the Save Guana Cay Reef Asso-
ciation said yesterday.
Fred Smith, an attorney with Callenders & Co, said the Gov-
ernment should not enter any "long-term strategy for the use of
Crown Land" without consultation, as its National Strategy
for Investments paper indicates it plans to do.
The paper, which has not been formally released or publicised,
is posted on the Ministry of Financial Services and Invest-
See LAND, Page 4B

Delta adds new

Nassau flight

DELTA Airlines is set to
add a direct Saturday flight
from Boston to Nassau on
December 17, just in time for
what is expected to be a busy
Christmas season.
The addition of the round-
trip service to the US east coast
city will provide a further boost
to airlift into the Bahamas,
lending extra weight to asser-
tions by hoteliers that there is
still unfulfilled demand among
US tourists. "We continue to
demonstrate our commitment
to bringing more service into
the Caribbean with this impor-

tant bridge between Boston
and Nassau, a destination
which provides its visitors with
some of the world's favourite
beach, golf and casino experi-
ences," James Sarvis, Delta's
director for the Latin Ameri-
can and Caribbean region said.
The Saturday flight will leave
Boston at 10am, arriving in
Nassau at 1.33pm. The return
flight will leave Nassau at
2.50pm, reaching Boston at
5.57pm. Delta flies to Nassau
from seven US cities, and
serves Freeport from its
Atlanta hub.

HELPING YOU CREATE AND MANAGE WEALTH

NASSAU OFFICE
Tel: (242) 356-7764
FREEPORT OFFICE
Tel: (242) 351-3010

- I II

I ~- I~~a~l I I I -r I I

* By YOLANDA
DELEVEAUX
Senior Business
Reporter
Baha Mar, the developer
behind the planned $1.2 bil-
lion Cable Beach redevelop-
ment, was yesterday said to
be expanding its footprint
beyond the boundaries it ini-
tially gave to the Government,
closing in on the purchase of
privately-owned properties to
the east of the public recre-
ation area at Goodman's Bay.
Bah Mar is close to clinch-
ing the sale of. the residences
situated on the left hand side
of West Bay Street for com-

F. 0.USINESL

..Wh at~ Its write thist
re are-d e!

s I write this
column, it is
very quite in
the Atlantic.
My hourly
update from the National
Hurricane Centre in Miami
indicates no apparent imme-
diate threats to land from any
storms. This leads to the point
we all have to remember: that
this is a natural occurrence.

Hurricane

A hurricane is extremely
predictable, thus giving us
enough time to prepare for its
arrival. This predictability
does not just come from the
warning and watches given
when a storm has already
formed, since it is an estab-
lished scientific fact that this is
the season in which hurricanes
form. Why, then, are we still
amazed, in some instances
frenzied, when our meteorol-
ogists make mention of a stor-
m's formation. Maybe it is the

media, but that's another dis-
cussion.

Mitigate

My concern is quite the con-
trary. It is amazing that the
Government has not taken
action to begin to mitigate the
effects from a potentially dev-
astating storm. In essence,
what is the plan? What are we
doing as a nation to prepare
for flooding, wind damage
and, as we have seen in the
US, the recovery effort. Say
what you may, but America's
response to the events imme-
diately after Katrina was
expected.
Yes, it is not a surprise that
in the heat of the moment, all
the preparations usually col-
lapse. Studies have shown that
the best thought-out plans fail
because of the ever-present
'Murphy's Law'. Which is to
say that events happen that
are beyond our control, but
we know this and apparently

lack the will to do something
about it. My disappointment
in our elected officials is their
apparent inability or refusal
to step out of a reactionary
mind set, and move to a
proactive one.

Essence

In essence, "if it isn't broke,
don't fix it". Has it been deter-

mined that since we have not
received the full effects of any
hurricane since last season,
there is no need to prepare
for another one?

Corrected

Of course, I stand to be cor-
rected if preparations are
being made. But does not just
involve storing supplies. What

am I, the average citizen, sup-
posed to do when a storm
arrives? Even more so, what
about when it is over?

Prevention

OK, maybe we have a plan
and have done some prepara-
tions. However, for those of
us who study loss prevention
strategies, my question is: Is
the plan now being reviewed
in light of the US response.
By the way, it must be a top
secret plan because, search as
I have, I cannot find it except
for some brief instructions on
the Internet. How many peo-
ple in the Family Islands have
access to the Internet and
know where to look. As men-
tioned in last week's column,
communication is a must.
As I have long stated in my
articles, the American model
provides for several layers of
government and management
- from the local (city. and
county) to state and federal

FROM page 1B

administration. Not to men-
tion private and non-govern-
ment organisation (NGO)
participation in the relief
effort. These entities have
numerous resources, both
human and financial, that at
a moment's notice can be
mobilised.

Management

We have the police and
defence force, who are already
stretched thin as we speak.
These individuals will be
expected to take the lead in
the management of this event.
Are they ready? Can they be
found?
We will continue our dis-
cussion next week.
NB: Gamal Newry is the
president of Preventative
Measures, a law enforcement
and security consulting com-
pany. Comments can be sent
to PO Box N-3154 Nassau,
Bahamas or, e-mail preven-
tit@hotmail.com

make certain it did not under-
mine the Bahamas' confiden-
tiality laws.
He added: "The underlying
factor of this initiative is that
we do not want to negatively
impact the nation's confiden-
tiality laws.
"We don't want to under-
mine that feature of our bank-
ing system, and we want to
ensure that if any re-crafting is
needed, that it is clearly
understood and seen by the
international community that
the structure will be such that
potential borrowers will have
to give us permission to have
access to their account infor-
mation".

Perspective

From the banks' perspec-
tive, the creation of a credit
bureau is expected to help
prevent abuses in the system
where customers may not
divulge relationships and out-
standing loans they have with
other institutions.
However, The Tribune had
been told previously that for a
credit bureau to work effec-
tively, the Bahamas needed
an Automated Clearing
House (ACH). An ACH
would centralise the data on
all borrowers, enabling the
commercial banks to identify
loan applicants who had
defaulted on borrowings from
other institutions, thus min-
imising their credit risk.
The commercial banks have
ended the initial bidding
process for a contract to man-
age and operate the ACH,
believing that none of the
three bidders came up to
scratch, and are now re-eval-
uating the process.
Dividing borrowers into
high risk and low risk cate-
gories, Mr McWeeney said
that only a small component
of the Bahamian population
is seen as a credit risk. Even
then, the risk may represent
only a matter of pricing for a
bank.

Economy

Mr McWeeney said that
operating a credit bureau
within the Bahamian econo-
my will have the impact of
allowing more persons to
qualify for loans, with the
banks pricing them accord-

ingly.
"It doesn't mean that good
payers won't be able to access
credit, it may just mean that
they get better pricing," he
added.

Operating

For modern banks operat-
ing in developed economies,
it was the risk rating that
determines pricing on prod-
ucts. With the Bahamian
economy expected to remain
firm for the foreseeable
future, there are four addi-
tional criteria used to deter-
mine each individual's risk rat-
ing job stability, previous
credit history, cash flow and
security.
A borrower's risk rating is
also influenced by macroeco-
nomic conditions and the
product they want to access,
and is assessed on an individ-
ual basis by the lending insti-
tution.
Mr McWeeney gave as. an
example a client that was
interested in qualifying for a
mortgage product. The inter-
est rate on the loan could
range from 7.5 per cent to 12
per cent, depending on the
interpretation of risk by the
bank.

Capacity

Once formed, the credit
bureau is likely to be owned
by the Clearing Banks Asso-
ciation initially, but the body
will have the capacity to allow
other financial institutions to
become members.
At this stage, Mr
McWeeney said the cost of
creating and operating the
credit bureau had not been
determined.
He added that relative to
the cost of the technology
needed to operate the facility,
the size of the borrowing pop-
ulation was low, which means
that the private sector, which
will be asked to support the
initiative, would be concerned
about the value of their invest-
ment.
Mr McWeeney said that in
order to maintain their finan-
cial participation and support
going forward, it was essen-
tial that industry stakeholders
understood fully what their
financial responsibilities were
for the project.

Safe & Secure

A a

To advertise in

The Tribune

call 322-1986

PAGE 2B, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

WEDNt'U- .-, o-- I cIIi-,VL ... MUt:

New

see

Providence

$5 RevPAR g

hotels

growth

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
A STRENGTHENING tourism
industry generated increased rev-
enues for both New Providence's
largest hotels and the Government
during the 2005 first half, with rev-
enue per available room (RevPAR)
for Nassau's resorts increasing from
$137.59 to $146.2 for the six months
to June.
Available
The Central Bank of the Bahamas'
full review of the 2005 second quar-
ter found that the total number of
available rooms sold by New Provi-
dence's largest hotels during the 2005
first half had increased by 1.3 per
cent, with occupancy rates rising to
80.6 per cent from 76.1 per cent.
With average daily room rates rel-

atively stable at $181.33, total room
revenues earned by New Provi-
dence's largest resorts rose by 7.6
per cent to $171.4 million during the
2005 first half. The Government also
benefited, with departure taxes for
the first 11 months of the 2004-2005
fiscal year up by $2 million or 3.6 per
cent at $58.1 million.
Tourism tax receipts had increased
by 55.4 per cent or $15.2 million over
that period, reaching $42.7 million,
although the Central Bank report
said this had been boosted "by the
settlement of gaming tax arrears".
That is likely to be a reference to
the settlement reached between the
Government and entrepreneur Philip
Ruffin, who paid the gaming taxes
he owed in return for approval of
the sale of his two resorts the Wyn-
dham Nassau Resort and Crystal
Palace Casino, plus the Nassau
Beach Hotel to Baha Mar Devel-

opment Company.
Capital
A short-term capital inflow of
$68.5 million into the banking sys-
tem to finance Baha Mar's $1.2 bil-
lion Cable Beach redevelopment also
boosted the surplus on the Bahamas'
capital account to $123.3 million,
compared to $24.2 million, during
the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank
report said new commercial assess-
ments, plus the payment of arrears,
were likely to be behind the $16.3
million or 45.2 per cent increase in
real property taxes collected during
the first 11 months of fiscal 2004-
2005, reaching $52.3 million.
International trade taxes, from
which the Government derived the
bulk between 50-60 per cent of
its revenues, rose by 11.8 per cent or

$49.4 million to $469.3 million.
Import duties were up by 10.1 per
cent or $32.9 million at $360 million,
while stamp duties for the fiscal year
to May 2005 stood at $97.7 million, a
gain of 21 per cent or $16.9 million.
Revenues from business and pro-
fessional licence fees increased by $5
million or 10 per cent to $55.7 mil-
lion; motor vehicle taxes were up by
$4.5 million or 41.9 per cent to $15.2
million; and other stamp taxes
increased by $39.2 million or 50.4
per cent to $117.1 million.
But the Central Bank added:
"These increases, however, should
be considered within the context of a
57.2 per cent drop in undistributed
taxes to $44.5 million, which suggests
that a more timely recording of rev-
enue to respective categories
occurred in the current period."
However, the improved revenue
picture is being largely negated by

the 9.9 per cent increase in total gov-
ernment spending. Recurrent spend-
ing, the largest component, grew by
$59.3 million or 6.8 per cent, com-
pared to the comparative period in
2003-2004, reaching $927.3 million.
This accounted for 88.5 per cent of
total spending for the first 11 months
in 2004-2005.
Government consumption rose by
5.9 per cent or $32.6 million to $585.8
million, while purchases of goods and
services increased by $9.2 million or
5.5 per cent to $175.9 million.
Salaries
Salaries and personal emoluments,
which accounted for 70 per cent or
$410 million of recurrent spending,
rose "strongly" by $23.4 million or
6.1 per cent, due to "salary increases
for the uniformed branch of govern-
ment and outlays for new recruits".

FROM page 1B

through there may be little the
Government can do unless
Baha Mar agrees to sell the
land to them.
"My understanding is that
the Government may want to
itself purchase those proper-
ties," the official said. "The
idea is to provide as much
beach area on Goodman's
Bay as possible. All I know is
that the matter is still being
looked into by the Hotel Cor-
poration, but the Government
would not be in a position to
not allow the sale.
"The Government has
expressed active interest in
acquiring several buildings
along the beachfront, with the
whole idea that they want to
expand the beach facilities at
Goodman's Bay for the
Bahamian people. Prime Min-
ister Christie has gone on
record as wanting to extend
the beach."
Agreement
Asked whether Baha Mar's
sale agreement for the prop-
erties went before the Gov-
ernment, including the Min-
istry of Financial Services and
Investments or the National
Economic Council (NEC),
both government bodies that
review applications for land

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news
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from people who are
making news in their
neighbourhoods. Perhaps
you are raising funds for a
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area or have won an
award.
If so, call us on 322-1986
and share your story.

purchases in the Bahamas by
foreign investors, the source
explained that because Baha
Mar was a Bahamas-regis-
tered company, it may not
have been treated like a for-
eign investor.
Therefore, it would not
have needed government
approval to complete a pri-
vate transaction.
Comment
When contacted by The Tri-
bune, representatives of Baha
Mar declined to comment on
the matter, saying they were
not prepared to release any

information at this time.
Principally
Baha Mar is principally
owned by Lyford Cay resident
Dikran Izmirlian, a billionaire
who controls a large chunk of
the world's peanut supply and
has extensive real estate devel-
opment interests across the
world, including the second
largest commercial plot in
London, known as MORE
London.
Mr Izmirlian and his son,
Sarkis, are the driving forces
behind the Cable Beach rede-
vlopment.

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of nh~lb. kol an ).i..u(l~ l ~ h ~

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT GN-269

ROAD TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT

PUBLIC NOTICE

ATTENTION: ALL FRANCHISE HOLDERS

PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES -
LICENSING AND INSPECTION

In accordance with the Road Traffic Act,
Chapter 220, the inspection of Public Service
Vehicles will be carried out in New Providence and
the Family Islands beginning Monday, 3rd October
through Monday 31st October, 2005 from 9:00a.m.
to 4:00p.m.

Owners and Operators of these vehicles must
ensure that the total number of vehicles covered by
their franchises are presented for licensing and
inspection. When fewer vehicles are presented than
the total number covered by his/her francise, the
Road Traffic Authority, in the absence of proof, will
assume that he/she no longer needs the franchise
which is not presented at that time. The Authority,
therefore, requires him/ her to show cause why the
franchise may not be reduced on the strength of
section 90(1) which refers to the revocation of
franchise.

Further, franchise holders must also produce
documentary proof to show that their franchises are
operational at the time of licensing and inspection.

BUSINESS

coibak

PAGE 4B, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THE TRIBUNE

FROM page 1B

could be a regional airline, but
not in the short term."

Airlines

The managing director said
further that unlike the other
airlines of the region, such as
Air Jamaica, BWIA and
LIAT, Bahamasair had
shown tremendous progress
in reducing its losses.
He said that based on the
work done in anticipation of
privatisation, the Govern-
ment and the'airline's man-
agement believe that
Bahamasair is economically
viable.
The proposed Caribbean
Regional Airline Group,
which would integrate the
operations of Bahamasair and
the other carriers but not dis-
pense with their respective
brand identities, would cre-
ate an integrated flight sched-
ule. Head office functions,
plus marketing, reservations
and station activities, would
be consolidate into one.
"The operational integra-
tion of the airlines of the
Caribbean will create an air-
line network that will have
the scale and flexibility to sig-
nificantly increase traffic and
revenue through improved
traffic flow across the net-
work and the scale to permit
the reduction of unit costs to
a sustainable competitive lev-
el," the CHA paper said.

FROM page one

ments' website, www.invest-
bahamas.org. Among the sev-
en strategic goals listed on the
document is to: "Utilise lease
agreements for Crown Land
as an integral part of prudent
financial planning."
The paper, which appears
to have been drawn up in
late 2003, states: "Plans are
now being formalised for
Crown Land to be leased

"The cost benefits are
apparent: one head office,
one operation per station,
one reservations system com-
mon to all, one marketing
organisation for all.
"Common purchasing and
higher volumes will reduce
supplier prices and increase
connectivity and the larger
network scale will permit
increased aircraft productivi-
ty. Further cost savings and
efficiencies will flow as the
integrated structure matures."

Competitive

However, the CHA paper
said this could not be accom-
plished without some pain at
Bahamasair and the other
carriers, as they would all
need a competitive cost struc-
ture. This would involve
"painful wage and workforce
reductions and work rule/pro-
ductivity improvements".
A frequent flier pro-
gramme would boost further
the strong brand loyalty to
carriers like Bahamasair,
while the integrated schedule
would enhance load factors
and revenues by feeding pas-
sengers from the main routes
to smaller ones.
Costs would be reduced,
the paper said, and revenues
increased from extra passen-
ger numbers, generated by
lower fares, and the feeder
traffic from main routes.

The CHA paper recom-
mended for the regional air-
line grouping: "What is envis-
aged is a Caribbean hybrid a
series of major points along
the linear network into which
'clusters' of connecting flights
will feed to and take from the
main line network traffic des-
tined to smaller markets at
transfer times through the
day: for example, Trinidad,
Barbados, Jamaica
(Kingston) and Nassau.
Direct service between
regional markets will contin-
ue and be improved.
"This system will require
seamless connections at the
cluster stations to minimise
passenger connection times
and shorten aircraft turn-
around/transit times. This will
require changes to implement
an effective 'In Transit' trans-
fer system screened from
existing Immigration and
Security Procedures."
It concluded: "The inte-
grated 'Airlines of the
Caribbean' network, with
proper capitalisation, private
sector ownership and profes-
sional management will be
operated as a business to
generate optimum returns for
its shareholders over a long-
term investment horizon
through reliable, efficient,
price competitive, market
responsive flight schedules
and service quality a world
class answer."

* PAUL MAJOR

Questions over the Crown Land leasing strategy

to investors on reasonable
terms.
"When that land is devel-
oped and sold at market
value, the Government will
receive a share of the mar-
ket value of the developed
land, accounting for its ini-
tial role in stimulating the
development."

PUBLIC NOTICE
INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL
The Public is hereby advised that I, KHALIN MARTIN
MILLER, of Seyclelle Ct, P.O. Box N-7043, intend to
change my name to KHALIN MARTIN HERIOUS. If
there are any objections to this change of name by Deed
Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport
Officer, PO.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than
thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

IVOR COMPANY INC.

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 137
(4) of the International Business Companies Act No. 45 of
2000), IVOR COMPANY INC. has been dissolved and
struck off the Register according to the Certificate of
Dissolution issued by the Registrar General on the 15th day
of September, 2005.

Numerous investment
projects announced under
both this administration
and the previous FNM gov-
ernment have involved the
lease of Crown Land to
developers.
Its leasing has sometimes
been contentious, as is the
case with the $175 million
Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean
Club, where some 105
acres of Crown Land and
43 acres of Treasury land
were leased to the devel-
opers, Discovery Land
Company.
It is thought that without
that land, the develo-
pment would not be feasi-
ble.
Allyson Maynard-Gib-
son, minister of financial
services and investments,
could not be contacted for
comment. However, the
Government is likely to
argue that leasing Crown

Land to investors, presum-
ably on commercial terms,
is likely to maximise the
benefits from its landhold-
ings for both it and the
Bahamian people, getting
a share of the revenues
from when it is developed
and sold.

Strategy

Essentially, through this
strategy, the Government
is betting that investors will
be better able to maximise
the value of Crown Land
than it will.
However, the explicit
nature of the leasing strat-
egy outlined in the Gov-
ernment's document is
likely to create concerns
that investors are gaining
substantial landholdings in
the Bahamas without hav-
ing to put up substantial

NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that MARTIN THACKRAY, P.O. BOX
N-7805, NASSAU, BAHAMAS, is applying to the Minister
responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for
registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that
any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization
should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement
of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 28TH day of
SEPTEMBER, 2005 to the Minister responsible for Nationality
and Citizenship, P.O.Box N- 7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE
is hereby given that ROLIN-MOI-MEME, P.O.BOX N-120,
NASSAU, BAHAMAS, is applying to the Minister responsible
for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as
a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any
reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted,
should send a written and signed statement of the facts within
twenty-eight days from the 21st day of SEPTEMBER, 2005 to
the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, P.O.Box
N- 7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

Legal Notice

NOTICE

SHOLA LIMITED

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:
(a) SHOLA LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the
provisions of Section 137 (4) of the International Business Companies
Act 2000.
(b) The dissolution of the said company commenced on September 26,
2005 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and
registered by the Registrar General.
(c) The Liquidator of the said company is Credit Suisse Trust Limited,
Rue de Lausanne, 17 bis, 1211 Geneva 70, Switzerland.
Dated this 28th day of September, A.D. 2005.

Credit Suisse Trust Limited
Liquidator

equity.
While the acres leased to
Discovery Land Company,
for instance, will contain a
nature preserve that will
benefit the Bahamian peo-
ple, another large chunk
will be used for infrastruc-
ture for the development
rather than being sold, as
per the Government strat-
egy.
Mr Smith told The Tri-
bune that Crown Land
should also be available to
stimulate Bahamian invest-
ment, much as happened in
the US with Federal
Reserve land.
He added that any strat-
egy for Crown Land use
should be debated by Par-
liament or a parliamentary
committee, with public
input, before it was leased
to investors.
"The issue of Crown
Land is something I think

should be subject to an
intense debate in this coun-
try," Mr Smith said.
"It is not land that
belongs to a particular
Minister, Ministry or Cabi-
net to decide what to do
with it.
"That is land held on
trust on behalf of the
Bahamian people as our
future heritage for gener-
ations to come.
"I would not like to see
any long-term strategy
devised for the use of
Crown Land without any
debate and engagement
with the public."
He added that strategy
papers containing such pro-
posals should be released
publicly to the Bahamian
people, and not kept
behind the scenes, with
investors able to negotiate
privately for the lease of
Crown Land.

PUBLIC NOTICE
INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL
The Public is hereby advised that I, WHITNEY PAULETTE
MILLER, of Seyclelle Ct, P.O. Box N-7043, intend to
change my name to WHITNEY PAULETTE HERIOUS. If
there are any objections to this change of name by Deed
Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport
Officer, PO.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than
thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that FERDERIQUE CLERVIL OF
JOHNSON ROAD, c/o P.O. BOX N-805, NASSAU,
BAHAMAS, is applying to the Minister responsible for
Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as
a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows
any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be
granted, should send a written and signed statement of the
facts within twenty-eight days from the 21ST day of
SEPTEMBER, 2005 to the Minister responsible for Nationality
and Citizenship, P.O.Box N- 7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT, 2000
No.45 of 2000

In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the
International Business Companies Act, (No. 45 of 2000), OLSTON
OVERSEAS CORP., is in dissolution. CONTINENTAL
LIQUIDATORS INC., is the Liquidator and can be contacted at No.
2 Commercial Centre Square, P.O. Box #71, Alofi, Niue Islands.
All persons having claims against the above-named company are
required to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts
or claims to the Liquidator before October 26, 2005.

J*yh B. Foster
For: Continental Liquidators, Inc.
Liquidator"

BUSINESS I

THE TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005, PAGE 5B

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NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that MARVENS DULCIO OF DEVEAUX
STREET, P.O. BOX N-1000, NASSAU, BAHAMAS, is applying
to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for
registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that
any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization
should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement
of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 28TH day of
SEPTEMBER, 2005 to the Minister responsible for Nationality
and Citizenship, P.O.Box N- 7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that BENJAMIN BUTTERFIELD #34 LIVING
DRIVE, P.O.BOX F-40053, FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA,
BAHAMAS, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality
and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The
Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/
naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and
signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 21ST
day of SEPTEMBER, 2005 to the Minister responsible for Nationality
and Citizenship, P.O.Box F-41085, Grand Bahama, Bahamas.

> University Degree: Finance or Accounting;
> Two years Experience in financial arena;
> Strong communication, administrative, time management skills and
reporting skills;
> Excel spreadsheets usage at an advanced level a must;
> Proficiency in Word applications required;
> Must be a team player with a professional attitude, strong commitment
to detail and good analytical skills.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

> Must be a team player that is willing to support the efforts of the team
or any team member.
> The successful applicant should be able to act on his or her own
initiative with little supervision.
> Must have good communication skills

A competitive salary, performance related compensation, career related
training and a competitive employee benefits package are all available
to the successful candidate.

Interested persons should submit a current resume and cover letter to
the address below no later than September 30th, 2005:

9 SOCCER
By KELSIE JOHNSON
Junior Sports Reporter
THE Bahamas' under 20 wom-
en's soccer team kicked off the
Caribbean Football Union qualifi-
cation tournament with a bang,
winning their opening game on
Monday.
The team, which travelled to St
Kitts/Nevis in hopes of qualifying
for the second round of play,
defeated the host nation 5-0.
Leandra Ferguson scored the
first goal, 35 minutes into the .
match, as the Bahamas team took
control, pressuring the younger St *...
Kitts and Nevis side.
Head coach Matthew Green and
team members were unable for
comments up until press time.
Teimn Bahamas kept the pres-
sure on as they headed into the sec-
ond half and finding the net four
more times through Amanda
Ritchie, in the 65th minute, Nake-
sha Rolle (72): Talitha Wood (76);
ai'nd Sascha- Hamilton in the 82nd
minute of the game.
The team started preparations
for today', game against Antigua
and Barbuda yesterday, saying their
game against Jamaica will be
the toughest game of the competi-
tion.
Currently, the CFU are awaiting
the results of three groups, B-D, to
play against Trinidad and Tobago
in a quadrangular final, set to take
place November 12th-16th. E THE Bahamas under 20 side ahead of their clash with St I

girls

Kitts/Nevis

Proud father

Mark can't

wait for return

0 TENNIS
By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
DESPITE being hampered by
injury this season, tennis ace
Mark Knowles and his wife,
Dawn, have plenty to celebrate
after the birth of their son, Gra-
ham Ryder Knowles, on Sep-
tember 12.
Graham weighed in at eight
pounds and 15 ounces. He was
also registered at 21-feet, 1/2-inch
long.
Knowles and his Canadian
partner, Daniel Nestor last played
together at the US Open in
Flushing Meadows, New York
where they were ousted in the
first round by the American team
of Paul Goldstein and Jim
Thomas in three sets.
As the number three seeded
team, Knowles and Nestor failed
to defend their Grand Slam title.
But Knowles said they can't wait
to get back on the circuit in two
weeks.
On October 10, they will be in
Vienna, Austria to play in the
BA-CA Tennis Trophy and start
their fall trip, which will include

the Masters Series in Madrid,
Spain from October 17 to the
BNP Paribas Masters in Paris,
France from October 31.
Hopefully, the world's number
four seeded team will close out
the year as one of the eight teams
in the prestigious Tennis Masters
Cup that will be played in Shang-
hai, China starting on November
12.

Focus
"I had my focus on the birth
of our son and that turned out to
be an incredible experience, but I
think it will totally change my
life," Knowles reflected. "I know
for Dan, he had the Davis Cup
last weekend and he will have
two weeks off before we head to
Vienna.
"I have two more weeks off,
which is nice because I can enjoy
my family before we head off to
Vienna and then peak for the
Masters Cup."
Based on the latest ATP com-
puter rankings, Knowles and
Nestor have a total of 482 points
as they sit in fourth place on

the Doubles Race top 50
list.
American twin brothers Bob
and Mike Bryan are out front
with 1045, while the team of
Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyl
of Belarus are in second with
1009 and the Zimbabwe combo
of Wayne Black and
Kevin Ullyett occupy No.3 with
707.
Although they are just 82
points ahead of the fifth placed
team of Leander Paes of India
and Nenad Zimonjic of Belgrade,
Knowles said they are thrilled to
be in the position they are in, con-
sidering the year they've had so
far.
"Dan's been injured for most
of the first half of the season, then
I got injured going into the US
Open, so it's been a tough year
from that standpoint," Knowles
pointed out. "But when we've
been healthy, we played well.
"We haven't been so healthy,
but it's good to be ranked at
number four. If we can get
healthy and stay healthy, we can
give it a good run in the fall head-
ing towards Shanghai and try to
end on a positive note."

Netherlands

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

SECTION

Fax: (242) 328-2398
E-Mail: sports@100jamz.com

TiT-ibrjiiggII

MIAMI HERALD SPORTS

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* By KELSIE JOHNSON
Junior Sports Reporter
IT'S CELEBRATION time once again
for the Bahamas, and Minister of Youth,
Sports and Culture Neville Wisdom is
promising a "big splash".
The achievements of the Bahamas team
that participated in the 10th IAAF World
Championships, held in August in Helsin-
ki, Finland, will be recognised on October
3rd-9th.
The week-long celebration is being
dubbed "Bahamas on the top of the
World" and is designed to give Bahamians
an opportunity to interact with some of
the country's finest athletes.
Wisdom, who apologised for the late
hosting of the celebrations and activities,
said that his ministry wanted to ensure
that every athlete who participated in the
summer games be recognised.
He explained that the government was
in a position to host the celebrations
immediately following the team's feat, but
was aware of the commitments made by
several athletes.
The World Championships concluded
on August 14th, but competition on the
circuit was still taking place.
Wisdom said: "A part of our challenge
was getting everyone home at the right
time. Some of the athletes just completed
the final competition and, in fact," one is
still in Asia.
"But it is my understanding that all the
athletes will be home for the celebrations.
"The celebrations are put in place to
give the Bahamian public an opportunity
to interact with our elite athletes.
"This is done especially for the younger
athletes, who are now hoping to become
world class athletes."

Countries
Of the 208 countries that participated in
the games, the Bahamas finished up in
the 13th position, beating out top countries
like Canada, Great Britain, Australia and
Finland, the host country.
Bahamas, who took a team of 21 mem-
bers, won one gold and a silver medal at
the games, while three were able to finish
in the top four positions of their events.
Wisdom added: "We should be proud
of our athletes' achievements and glad to
show our appreciation.
"Indeed, our athletes represented the
Commonwealth of the Bahamas in a
superlative manner, winning the admira-
tion of the entire world. This accomplish-
ment in sports puts the Bahamas on top of
the world."
The week-long celebrations will take
the team members island hopping, the
most important venture of the celebra-
tions, according to Wisdom.
Wisdom believes that the athletes needs
to be exposed more to the Family Islands.
He said: "We want to invite everyone
out to come and celebrate with the ath-
letes. Indeed, the whole focus ismaking
sure that the youth of our nation attends.
"The government made a request to
the committee organisers to make it pos-
sible for the athletes, to interact with the
Bahamian.people.
"It won't be like in the past where the
athletes drove past on a vehicle and waved
to the public, this time around they will be
able to sit down and ask them questions,
talk to them a little.
"This brings comfort to the Bahamian
people, who are their biggest fans."

Although the team is expected to arrive
at Nassau International Airport on Mon-
day morning, the actual celebration will
not take place until Tuesday.
On Monday evening the team will gath-
er at Harold Road for the renaming of
the Highway.
The motorcade through the streets of
the capital will take place on Tuesday
afternoon, starting at 1pm, with a live
national rally set for that evening at 6pm.
The island hoping will begin on
Wednesday courtesy of Bahamasair, with
the team visiting Abaco and Grand
Bahama.
On Thursday they will make their way
into Eleuthera, returning later that after-
noon.

pldl

Motorcade route through Nassau
AS PART of the celebration of Team Bahamas' performance at the
10th IAAF championships, which were held in Helsinki Finland in
August, a motorcade will be held on Tuesday October 4 beginning at 1pm.
The motorcade will commence at the Kendall G L Issacs Gymnasium
and end at Arawak Cay.
It will head north along John F Kennedy Drive, east along Poinciana
Drive, north along Blue Hill Road, North along Cumberland Street,
east along Bay Street, south along Fowler Street, south along Kemp
Road, west along Wulf Road, west along Poincina Drive, north along Nas-
sau Street, west along West Bay Street then on to Arawak Cay.

II.

Rugby team

confident

ahead of

clash with

Barbados

* RUGBY
By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
THE Bahamas national rugby team
travel to Trinidad and Tobago today
ahead of their clash with Barbados.
At 7.15pm on Saturday at the
Hasley Crawford Track and Field Sta-
dium, the Bahamas will play Barbados
for the Caribbean Cup and a chance
to advance to the next round of the
World Cup qualifiers.
Head coach Steve Thompson said
the 22-member team is looking good,
and they're confident that they will
give it their best shot this weekend.
"We've prepared well. We've been
working out since the last week in
June and we worked on fitness all of
July and up to the second week of
August," he pointed out.
"We then went to Florida and
played against a strong Southern select
side, comprising of all of the Southern
states and we were able to win that
game. So we're focusing on this game
against Barbados."
At the Winmton Rugby Pitch in June,
the Bahamas came out of the North-
ern Caribbean Rugby World Cup
qualifying round as the top seeds,
advancing to play Barbados, the top
seeds from the Southern region.

Injury
The Bahamas has since lost two of
their players, William Russell and
Anton Roberts, through injury. They
have been replaced by Philip David
and William Pilcher.
The remainder of the team will be
the same.
That side comprises of Garfield
Morrison, Manoli Roussos, Shane
Garner, Mario Rolle, Botin Nelson,
Marcus Cheetham, Timothy Thomp-
son, John Gates, Patrick Arthur,
Devon Woodside, Ninja Gibson,
Dorian Roach, Jackelo Pierre, Kevin
Salable, Matthew Paton, Ray Simp-
son, Jeremico Cooper, Jamaal Curry,
Giovanni Rolle, Dominic Stubbs,
William Pilcher and Philip
"I won't say that we will win the
game, but it's a 50-50 shot," Thomp-
son noted. "They will look to be hav-
ing an aggressive game, but at the end
of the day, I think it will be a pretty
tight game. I think it will be who exe-
cutes over 80 minutes of play who will
win the match."
I If there's any concern for the
Bahamas, it could be the size factor.
"They're bigger than us and they
are more experienced because they
have eight UK based players playing
with them, guys who are semi-pros in
the UK," Thompson noted.
"That will definitely be one of their
strengths and one of our weakness-
es. So we will try to bring the game to
them, pressure them and get them out
of their comfort zone. If we allow
them to dictate the pace, it will be a
long night. So we will take it to them.
"They are a very strong side," he
added.
"They won the Southern region,
beating teams like Trinidad and
Guyana, so they're a good squad. We
have our work cut out for us, but the
boys are fit and we're been working
out hard to get ready. Our assets are
our speed and quickness. If we can
capitalise on them, we should be able
to win the game."
The team is expected to return
home on Monday. A small contingent
of executives are scheduled to travel
today, while some spectators will join
them in Trinidad on Friday.

* MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

* THE St Matthew's Players' production 'Mummy the Virgin' put a twist on the well-known bible story.

Group with a difference

is getting in on theact

Diverse talents

come together in

St Matthew's Players

* By ERICA WELLS
YOUNG, old, doctor,
lawyer, retiree, nurse, moth-
er, daughter, father, son -
these are some of -the faces
behind one local church dra-
ma group that is breathing
new life into a lacklustre com-
munity theatre scene.
But the St Matthew's Play-
ers of St Matthew's Anglican
Parish is not your garden vari-
ety church drama group. They
use the talents of a diverse
group of people to deliver a
twist on a conventional mes-
sage or simply make their
audience laugh hard.
Since they were formed
about two years ago the Play-
ers have put on a number of
productions, including the
Christmas play, "Mummy the
Virgin", which puts a real-life
twist on the well-known bible
story; and "Jitney", a look at
the typical bus ride in Nassau,
complete with all of its vexa-
tions.
"We are just a gathering of

different types of people with
different talents, giving them
the opportunity to use their
talents and to encourage oth-
ers in the church to come for-
ward and use theirs," Iris Fin-
layson, St Matthew's Players
director told The Arts in an
interview.
Mrs Finlayson came up with
the idea of forming the group
because she wanted to do
something different. And she
did.
The response was very pos-
itive and today the group
boasts about 20-plus members
- Alric Hepburn and his 14-
year-old son Gerard, Jacque-
line Mycklewhyte and her
daughter Allyson, Norma
Ashe, Mrs Finlayson and her
daughter Laurena, Horatio
Bannister, Carla Smith and
her daughter Abby, Cather-
ine Archer, Dr Austin Davis,
Dorsey McPhee, Kirk Sey-
mour, Kirk Knowles, Faye
Johnson, Loretta Burrows,
SEE page two

SHITTING the high notes during a performance of 'Bus Ride'.

EXHIBITIONS

Group with a

difference gets

in on the act

FROM page one
Javon Butler, Laurence Anto-
nio and Chris Saunders.
The group, which rarely
depends totally on a script,
meets about once a week to
rehearse more frequently as
a production draws near and
has its sights set on a radio
serial that it hopes to start
broadcasting in the not too
distant future.
The six-week serial, an East-
er story, is called "He Died
For You" and was written by
church member Patrice Fran-
cis, who has also written other
scripts for the group. The
Players, who are also interest-
ed in doing larger productions
at the Dundas Centre, see this
as the first step in reaching
beyond the church walls and
into the community.
The St Matthew's Players is
also reminiscent of the days
when church drama groups
dominated the theatre scene
in Nassau, providing a much-
needed outlet for the dramat-
ic arts.

Memorable
In fact, the "dean of
Bahamian drama" came out
of the church. Rev John Tay-
lor, a former Anglican priest,
began writing and producing
full-length plays in Nassau in
the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Some of the more memorable
of his early productions were
"Man with Maid", "Christo-
pher Columbus", "Goalbird",
and "Oh, Absolam".
Also a big part of the Play-
ers group is the Town Gos-
sipers, a trio of colourful and
flamboyant characters -
"Sweet Girl", "Sugar Plum"
and "Sweet Thang" that
started out as a variety show
to raise money for parish pro-
grammes, before the existing
drama group was formed.
Their performances are
completely ad-libbed and
every production is a pleasant
surprise.
"I don't know what (the
other characters are) going to
say-or do," says Laurena Fin-
layson, also known as "Sugar
Plum".
"We're just dressing up and
making fools of ourselves. My

* ALL DRESSED UP: The Players produce 'The Passion'

I

'~h j64 #~*,#$N~u.
II,

M ANGEL FATHER HAYNES takes to the stage in a St Matthew's Players production.

THE members of the St Matthew's Players have no formal training in theatre but they all
share a love for the stage and a desire to make people laugh.

THE TRIBUNE

PAGE 2C, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THE TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER e.,

S -W

Philip A Burrows brings

Bahamian play to Michigan

* By A FELICITY INGRAHAM
Tribune Staff Reporter
RENOWNED Bahamian play-
wright Philip A Burrows travelled to
Michigan yesterday to audition for
cast members for the play You Can
Lead a Horse to Water.
Mr Burrows was pinpointed by
Grand Valley State University, whose
administrators saw his resume online
and thought he would be a good can-
didate for their Cultural Diversity
Programme.
He will be producing the play,
which was written by Bahamian Win-
ston V Saunders and will bring the
Bahamian way of life to the stage for
individuals from all across America.
Cleophas Adderley is responsible
for the music and the rhythms for the
horse.
Mr Burrows will head to GVSU as
a guest artist/scholar-in-residence. His

Renowned playwright takes on

Cultural Diversity Programme role

residency is being underwritten by
the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learn-
ing Center as part of a Claiming a
Liberal Education Initiative Grant.
The period of residency will be
from October 6 to around November
19, 2005.

Honour
Ringplay Productions said while he
will be missed, it is a "great honour
for Mr Burrows, Mr Saunders, Mr
Adderley, Ringplay, and the Bahamas
at large."
Said the GVSU website: "Theatre
at Grand Valley welcomes special

guest director Phillip A Burrows from
the Bahamas who will direct the
annual diversity play.
"Burrows will direct the signature
play of Bahamian theatre, You Can
Lead a Horse to Water, which details
the murder trial of a young man
through flashbacks of the events lead-
ing up to the murder.
"The play explores family dynamics
and social crises in a rich theatrical
production. This is a rare opportuni-
ty to view Caribbean theatre in
West Michigan and should not be
missed."
The play will be performed on
November 11, 12, 13, 17, 18 and 19.
Mr Burrows has directed scores of

* PHILIP A BURROWS

plays and other productions, including
the 8th and 9th annual Cacique
Awards for the Ministry of Tourism.

()prah's presence to he

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Beneath the Surface featuring new
works from the NewSkool artists Tamara
Russell, Davinia Bullard, Tripoli Burrows
and Taino Bullard. The exhibition opens
Friday, October 7, 6.30pm 10pm @ The
Central Bank Art Gallery, Market St.
Shows runs through October 14. Gallery
hours 9.30am 4.30pm.
* Popopstudios Gallery features work
by Bahamian artists Jason Bennett, John
Cox, Blue Curry, Toby Lunn and Heino
Schmid. The gallery is located on Dunmore
Ave in Chippingham, next to Dillet's Guest

House (1/4 mile south of the Bahamas
Humanes Society). Call 323-5220 or 322-
5850 for more information.
* The National Collection @ the Nadon-
al Art Gallery of the Bahamas, an exhibi-
tion that takes the viewer on a journey
through the history of fine art in the
Bahamas.
It features signature pieces from the
national collection, including recent acqui-
sitions by Blue Curry, Antonius Roberts
and Dionne Benjamin- Smith.
Call 328-5800 to book tours.

-Available from Commercial News Providers"-

NAGB closed for renovations
THE National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
(NAGB) would like to notify its members and the
general public that the Gallery will be closed from
Tuesday, September 27 through Monday October 3 for
tenting and renovations. The Gallery will reopen on
Tuesday, October 4 at 10am. We apologise for any
inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your
support.

Fantasy Fridays @ Fluid Lounge, featuring late
'80s music in the VIP Lounge, Top of the charts
in the Main Lounge, neon lights and Go Go
dancers. Admission: Ladies free before 11pm,
$15 after; Guys $20 all night.

Paul Hanna, Tabatha and Gernie, and the
.Caribbean Express perform at Traveller's Rest,
West Bay St, every Sunday, 6.30pm-9.30pm.

The Arts

The National Collection @ the National Art
Gallery of the Bahamas, an exhibition that takes
the viewer on a journey through the history of
fine art in the Bahamas. It features signature
pieces from the national collection, including
recent acquisitions by Blue Curry, Antonius
Roberts and Dionne Benjamin-Smith. Call 328-
5800 to book tours. This exhibition closes Feb-
ruary 28, 2006.

Health BR

The Cancer Society of the Bahamas meets at
5.30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at
their Headquarters at East Terrace, Centre-
ville. Call 323-4482 for more info.

Diabetes Directions a FREE diabetic support
group meets the first Monday of each month at
6.30pm at New Providence Community Cen-
tre, Blake Road. Dinner is provided and free
blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol
testing is available. For more info call 702-4646

Doctors Hospital, the official training centre of
the American Heart Association offers CPR
classes certified by the AHA. The course defines
the warning signs of respiratory arrest and gives
prevention strategies to avoid sudden death
syndrome and the most common serious injuries
and choking that can occur in adults, infants
and children. CPR and First Aid classes are
offered every third Saturday of the month from
9am-lpm. Contact a Doctors Hospital Com-
munity Training Representative at 302-4732 for
more information and learn to save a life today.

REACH Resources & Education for Autism
and related Challenges meets from 7pm 9pm
the second Thursday of each month in thecafe-
teria of the BEC building, Blue Hill Road.

The Nassau, Bahamas Pan-Hellenic Council
(NPHC) meets every third Monday of the
month in the Board Room of the British Colo-
nial Hilton Hotel, Bay St.

Nassau Council 10415 Knights of Columbus
meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the
month, 8pm @ St Augustine's Monestary.

Nassau Bahamas Koinonia meets every second
Friday of each month, 7.30pm at Emmaus Cen-
tre at St Augustine's Monestary. For more info
call 325-1947 after 4pm.

International Association of Administrative
Professionals, Bahamas Chapter meets the third
Thursday of every month @ Superclubs Breezes,
Cable Beach, 6pm.

AMISTAD, a Spanish club meets the third Fri-
day of the month at COB's Tourism Training
Centre at 7pm in Room 144 during the academic
year. The group promotes the Spanish language
and culture in the community.

Send all your civic and social events to The Tri-
bune via fax: 328-2398 or e-mail:
outthere@tribunemedia.net

I the main eve

THE TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005, PAGE 7C

Releasing the 'Truth'

M By PETURA BURROWS
Tribune Feature Writer

ingdom Dub
Entertainment's
Truth Compila-
tion was official-
.. ly released last
Friday in a concert that attract-
ed hundreds of parents and
their children.
-Children from the Ranfurly
Home for Children, the Eliza-
beth Estates Children's Home,
and 30 children from the East
Street area also joined in the
fun.
,DJ Counsellor, head of the
company, and one of the artists
on the album, put the crowd at
about 300 hundred gospel music
lovers. The concert, which
began at 8pm at the Diplomat
Centre, Carmichael Road lived
up to its expectations and
turned out to be a night of
music and ministry.
' "It was an exciting night. You
had good music but you had a
lot of the artists sharing their
testimonies while they minis-
tered," DJ Counsellor told Tri-
bune Entertainment.
Opening the concert was
Chariots of Fire, a group of

young men who minister
through rap music. Followed by
Kingdom Empress, the
youngest artist on the Truth
.Compilation. The group per-
formed two songs that appear
on the album, "BIBLE" and
"Consequences".
Adding more variety to the
concert was the Vision of Hope
Dance Team, performing in
blue and white flowing robe-
like uniforms to several gospel
songs.

Encourage

"The group of girls who
danced, their energy was like
nothing I have ever seen before.
Their moves were together, on
point," says Regina Whylly,
who had seen the group per-
form for the first time that
night.
Bahamian reggae artist, Solo,
whose voice persons might
remember from Landlord's
"We Need Peace", sang "Sur-
viving", which also appears on
the album. He also gave the
audience a taste of his new reg-
gae song which will be released
later.
Described by DJ Counsellor

as a "crowd pleaser" and a "vet-
eran" of music, having been a
singer for some 15 years, Sister
K of Freeport had the crowd
going as she sang some of her
new songs as well as recent hits
which included "What Ting
Dis", a track off the Truth Com-
pilation.
SHABACK, the gospel
group known for its traditional
songs, debuted some of its new
titles but shook up some expec-
tations when one of those new
pieces was a rock song.
Straight off a Bahamasair
flight from Freeport, Simeon
Outten came right in the nick of
time to close out the concert.
After cracking a joke about how
Bahamasair might not get you
there on time but will get you
there safe, Outten got into his
performance, which some audi-
ence members described as
"excellent".
When Simeon first came out
singing some of his earlier songs
it was as if some of the young.
people weren't into it, while
their parents, on the other hand,
were busy moving to the famil-
iar tunes. But by the time the
artist broke out more recent hits
like "Blame it on the Music"

and "Call on Jesus", both with a
steady calypso beat, the young
people were very much into his
performance.
Though the concert ended at
llpm, the fun continued until
1.45 the next morning, as par-
ticipants enjoyed the after par-
ty in the recreation centre
upstairs. Fellowship, music and
good food provided the perfect.
end to a evening of wholesome

entertainment.
For Mrs Whylly, who came
to the concert with her young
son, who is also one of DJ
Counsellor's "biggest fans",
entertainment opportunities
where parents can bring their
children are very beneficial.
"You can't stress how impor-
tant it is because of all that's
going on in our society today.
We need places like this where

Christian Youth Talent Jam next month

* By PETURA BURROWS
Tribune Feature Writer_

YOUNG PEOPLE with talent and a positive mes-
sage to share have an opportunity to showcase their
work in the upcoming Christian Youth Talent Jam, a
production of the Total Youth Church, a subsidiary
of Bahamas Faith Ministries International.
On October 15, 7.30pm at The Diplomat Centre,
Carmichael Road, young persons from 13 years old to
23 years old will participate in a display of the arts in the
categories of singing, drama, poetry, reggae, rap and
musical instruments.
Expanding its categories this year, organisers have
'added a Junkanoo category and a stand-up comedy
category to encourage those young persons not involved
in traditional arts.
"We found that a lot of the young people are into lots
of other artforms. So we wanted them to have a place
in the talent jam. Junkanoo, because it's national in
itself, and comedy because a lot of young people are
into comedy," explains Corey Rolle (DJ Counsellor),
assistant youth minister at BFM.
Dave Burrows, youth pastor at BFM and founder of
The Christian Youth Talent Jam is looking forward to
'"fresh talent this year", according to a statement from
The church. Talent Jam began as a talent night held
once a month as part of the youth meeting at BFM.

at msrIA~r%5 mU-ri--I

Over the. course of 14 years it has developed into a
highly anticipated annual showcase.
While the Talent Jam is an opportunity for young per-
sons to showcase their talents, it is also the place for
them to hone their professional skills, says Mr Rolle,
who noted that popular gospel artists like himself,
Selector and the Christian Massive group, all "passed
through" the competition. Other artists, like head of
Sanctigroove Productions, Terneille 'Ta Da' Burrows,
Manifest, head of Dunamus Sounds Production, Land-
lord, Solo and Double Syx, have all launched their
careers after performing at the talent jam.

Encourage

Says DJ Counsellor: "We want to encourage young
people not to be afraid to come on stage. There has to
be a winner and a loser, but if you don't win it doesn't

mean that you don't have enough talent.
S"It means that at least you were brave enough to
'come on stage and be judged."
,-Judges for the competition include Sister C and Sta-,
cy from Joy 101.9; Keith Rolle of Oasis Music Centre;
Manifest of Dunamus Sounds, Tahera Campbell, and
Bahamian comedian, Terez Davis (Dynamite Daisy).
Registration is open until Saturday, October 8 at the
church on Carmichael Road.
Through the Talent Jam, it is hoped that young per-
sons will receive an "alternatively strong, highly enter-
taining and positive event" that will leave its spectators
uplifted. The competition's primary goal is to glorify
God in its presentation and performances, and to
expose and award those participants with exceptional
talent.
Says DJ Counsellor: "We want young people to know
that all of their talents were first given by God, and they
should be used to honour Him. One of the most pow-
erful mediums being used today negatively is music.
This talent jam is a tool for them to be able to use
their gifts correctly."
Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded on October
15 to runners up and winners of each category, includ-
ing 'The Christian Youth Talent Jam Overall Winner'.
Youth groups, civic organisations, bands, dance min-
istries, soloists, dramatists, and others inquiring infor-
mation can contact the church at 461-6400.

parents can carry their kids and
be comfortable," she says.
"The reality is that most of
the music these children have
are mainly songs that degrade
women. So an environment like
the one that took place here
helps to shape young people,
and helps them to know that
there is more music out there,
good gospel music that is also
entertaining."

FLIGHTPLAN

Starring: Jodie Foster,
Peter Sarsgaard

U By JASON DONALD
Tribune Movie Writer

THE recent solid B-
movie Red Eye showed
that the physical con-
straints of an aeroplane are
no obstacle to a competent
director with a sharp script
and a short running time.
Flightplan, however,
shows that even 88 min-
utes can seem too long if
you wreck a decent
premise with a ridiculous
conclusion.
Jodie Foster plays Kyle
Pratt, a propulsion engi-
neer (you can hear the plot
wheels creaking) on route
from Berlin to New York
with her daughter follow-
ing her husband's sudden
death.

Suddenly

When her daughter sud-
denly goes missing on the
gigantic aircraft, Kyle finds
herself at odds with the
flight crew and an onboard
air marshall (Sarsgaard) -
all of whom insist her child
was never on the plane to
begin with.
Cue loads of young
Jodie running about,
removing panels, climbing
up shafts and rewiring
things, as she sets out to
prove to the increasingly
disgruntled passengers that
she's not mad.
And, for an hour or so, it
stays on just the right side
of entertaining as a suc-
cession of red herrings
help to keep us in the dark
over Kyle's is-she-isn't-she
missing daughter.
But the problem with a
movie like this is, if the
payoff doesn't deliver, the
whole thing falls apart.
With Flightplan, not
only is the denouement a
particularly lame one, it is
revealed way too early and
interest levels are sure to
plummet for the last 20
minutes or so.
It's a bit of shame,
because a nifty premise, an
eerie beginning and Fos-
ter asserting herself as a
feisty little action hero
promised so much more -
but the ending keeps this
one firmly in coach.